Persona 4: Book of Souls
by Emiya2004
Summary: "The power of the Demon's Eyes may be a valuable tool, but be ever mindful of the people around you... The truth sometimes hurts more than the lies." - Yuka Narukami hoped to escape her past life, to get a fresh start. Instead, she finds herself thrown back into the world of shadows, and this time... There may be no salvation. [Yuka X Rise]
1. Prologue

_Name:_ Persona 4: Book of Souls  
_Rating:_ M for Mature (Graphic Violence, Instances of Harsh Language, Religious Themes and Sexual Themes)  
_Genres:_ Action/Adventure/Humour/Romance/Mystery/Drama

* * *

~ _**Prologue: The First Page **_~

I still remember that day. To be honest, I had a feeling that I would have had to do something about the Shadow that appeared. I didn't expect how I would be used, however. We had seen horrors beyond our imagination. His dark side exposed to everyone. Shadows by the dozens swarmed into the room we were in, aiming to snuff out our lives.

And then, he came back. Her in hand. I didn't look at him, though I heard his arrival, thanks to everyone else. I was too busy keeping those Shadows at bay along with the others. Then, a horrible cry sounded out. Every Shadow in the room was obliterated—their masks cracked and shattered, they turned into sludge and disappeared into a mist.

The sound was loud enough to force everyone in the room besides the boy to cover their ears in agony. I covered my ears as well, though I seemed to have gotten off more lucky than the others. Their ears bled as the sound continued to drill into our heads—one of them even fainted from the noise.

Everyone that was still standing begged for the boy to stop. I remember what I said to him:

"_Stop it! You've done enough!"_

But to him, it wasn't enough. He ignored our pleas and summoned another of his Personas. It happened so fast, nobody could do anything to stop him. The noise stunned everyone into place. They might as well have been rocks at that point. Since I was but a pebble compared to them, Oumitsunu had no trouble picking me up.

He charged through the darkness and into a room. Lightning danced around the room like it was performing a puppet show. At the centre of it all was a mask—the mask of the Hermit, to be precise. A searing pain coursed through my body unrelentingly, burning my insides and charring my skin. It was hell... It was hell... It was a hell that I was forced through.

To stop that hell, I had to use something powerful. Something forbidden. Something that I knew was dangerous. I didn't care. I just wanted that hell to stop. To stop the pain. My screams were loud enough to destroy windows, loud enough that it could possibly be heard from the other side of the city.

Despite that, I managed to call out those trigger words. The words my mother taught me in order to control this power. Until the time came when I would be able to control it on my own. My mother was always apprehensive about letting me fight the Shadows. I never understood the reasons why she tried to stop me.

In that moment, I finally understood partly the reason why she was so adamant about protecting me. It was to stop me from experiencing this hell.

Seeing the thread that composes the Shadow's life, my sword cuts through it like a weaver with its scissors. My mind didn't register this action. My body moved on its own to do this. As soon as the mask disappeared, the storm subsided. The one carrying me vanished as well, sending me falling to the ground. The damage to my body was indescribable. I had fallen unconscious almost immediately after those few seconds.

My mind struggled to catch up to reality. It was still experiencing that hell. What it registered wasn't spine-chilling terror, or the sting of his betrayal, or the unbearable pain that he put me through.

No. It told me that this pain was _familiar_. It told me that I had experienced this pain before.

But how? Why? When? When would someone like me experience a pain such as this?

I couldn't fathom why I would know such a feeling. It didn't matter at that moment how or why I knew. The stone cold truth was that he knew full well what he did. He forced me to use something that drained away at my life.

And yet, that was a fate that was set in stone from the very beginning. It wasn't something I could change, even if I had the power to do so. It seemed as though the will of the world was leading me towards that moment. The moment where I would take my first proper step in confronting my destiny.

I didn't realise it then, however. All that was on my mind was one simple thing.

_Why? I haven't done anything wrong._

~ Book of Souls ~

_Huh...? Why am I thinking about that day, of all things...?_

I slowly opened my eyes as I awoke from my uneasy slumber. I was _supposed _to be on a train bound for Yasoinaba Station, but instead I found myself awaking in an unfamiliar room, sitting on a wooden chair. From what I could see, the room was tinted a velvet hue that gave the place a warm atmosphere, almost like a bar or a dance hall.

The counters, the glasses and bottles certainly helped with the image as well. It was kinda like that bar in the city I used to live in before coming to Inaba.

_What was it called again...? Ah, I'm sure I'll remember eventually._

"Welcome to the Velvet Room," an old man's voice spoke out. I snapped to attention and tried to discern where the voice came from. The room I was in was a lot more confined than I originally thought—very narrow, very small. Looking around some more, I saw a row of windows lining the sides.

I took a peak outside and could barely see a thing. A thick layer of fog was surrounding us. I also took note of the fact that we were moving forward through this fog.

_Am I in a limo...? Would certainly make sense, considering the size... What am I even doing here anyway?_

"It seems we have a guest with an intriguing destiny," the old man spoke out once again. I turned to look straight ahead and saw where the voice came from. He looked really... weird. The bit of white hair at the back of his head, the bulging bloodshot eyes and the... very, very long nose.

Oh, he also wore a black suit, with white gloves and had a handkerchief in the front pocket. Not particularly important, but it was something I had noticed. I was still trying to figure out exactly where I was.

_I've seen my fair share of weird stuff, but this takes the gold._

"Who are you?" I asked, trying to keep as stoic as possible. Better not to show emotion and let the enemy take advantage of that, I've always told myself. The old man spoke with one of the creepiest smiles I'd ever seen.

"My name is Igor. I am delighted to make your acquaintance," he said, his hands clasped together and resting below his impossibly long nose. "This place exists between dream and reality, mind and matter. It is a room that only those who are bound by a _'contract' _may enter... You seem to be destined to walk a different path however."

I didn't understand a word he said. A room that existed between dream and reality? Trying to make sense out of it for the moment was a futile effort, so I decided to just go along with it. Perhaps it would make sense later, I thought to myself.

"...I'm Yuka—" I started to say my name in return but Igor interrupted me.

"There's no need to tell us who you are, Yuka Narukami," he said knowingly. I didn't let my surprise show. Instead, I raised an eyebrow. "A previous guest spoke of you. He told us that you possess an... _interesting _ability."

He pointed to the woman beside him. She had platinum blonde hair, pale skin and golden eyes. She wore dark blue clothing with matching high heels and had black and gold accessories adorn her clothing. She was, to be blunt, exceptionally beautiful. A feeling in the pit of my stomach told me that I had seen someone like her before, but I dismissed it as a coincidence.

"This is Margaret. She's a resident here, like myself," Igor explained. The woman called Margaret turned her head to look at me directly.

"My name is Margaret. I am here to accompany you on your journey," she told me. I relaxed a little, seeing that they didn't seem to want to pick a fight, and focused on asking a very important question.

"What am I doing here?" I asked. Like every mystery I seem to come across however, I get no straight answers.

"That will be revealed to you in due time," Igor responded with that same, almost raspy, tone of voice. "Now then, why don't we take a look at your future?"

With a snap of his fingers, a deck of cards appeared on the round table in front of him. With a wave of his hand, the cards separated, all of them face down. With the cards set in place, he asked a very simple question.

"Do you believe in fortune telling?"

"...Not particularly," I responded, tensing up a little as he continued to smile.

"Each reading is done with the same cards, yet the result is always different..." He let out a chuckle. "Life itself follows the same principles, doesn't it?"

I couldn't really argue with that—he did have a point. Igor flipped over the card closest to me and to his right and looked it over.

"Hmm... The Tower in the upright position represents the immediate future. It seems a terrible catastrophe is imminent... The card indicating the future beyond that is..." He flipped over the card on the opposite side. "The Moon, in the upright position. This card represents... hesitation, and mystery. Very interesting indeed." He looked up from the table and directly at me.

"It seems you will encounter a misfortune at your destination and a great mystery will be imposed upon you," he explained.

"The coming year will be a turning point in your destiny... If the mystery goes unsolved, your future may be forever lost. My duty is to provide assistance to our guests to ensure that does not happen... But you already have the potential to see the truth of the world around us, don't you?"

_Does he know about—?!_

My thought process was interrupted by Margaret, who seemed to figure out what I was thinking.

"The power of the Demon's Eyes may be a valuable tool, but be ever mindful of the people around you... The truth you see can sometimes hurt more than the lies," she told me. She kept a straight face, making it difficult for me to discern the meaning from her words.

Before I could respond, the room slowly got darker and darker. It took me a second to realise that it wasn't the room itself that was going dark—it was my eyes slowly closing.

"Wait..."

As my words drifted in the air, the Velvet Room disappeared from my sight.

~ Book of Souls ~

_Ugh... That was a weird dream... How did those people know so much about me? Then again, it was a dream..._

I stood up after shaking myself awake and grabbed my bag from the railing above me, between the rest of my luggage, and opened it up. I looked at the only item contained within that bag.

_That book... I've carried it with me for so long and yet I don't know everything about it... I just hope I don't have to use this thing ever again. Not to mention..._

I zipped the bag back up and flung it over my shoulder. Taking a glance out the window, I saw the bright and luscious countryside. The quiet town of Inaba was my next stop—a chance to get away from the life I lived before. A chance to start fresh. I took my mobile phone out of my pocket and read the last message I received from my uncle.

"_Meet us outside Yasoinaba Station at 4 PM."_

_I've still got some time to spare... Oh, it seems we're getting close to arriving._

"_Our next stop is Yasoinaba Station. Be sure to take any luggage before departing."_

_Well... Here goes nothing._

* * *

~ _**Author's Note**_~

Hello everyone, and welcome to this retelling of Persona 4. I was requested by my friend _LastDragonborn_ to take over the Persona 4 story he was writing as the sequel to his story: _Persona 3 – The Alternity Paradox_. So if you want more background on my female protagonist here, I recommend you go read that first and then return here.

With that said, I hope you enjoy this journey, because I'm going to have a ton of fun writing it.


	2. Chapter I

~ _**Chapter I: A World of Fog **_~

The train slowly came to a halt at the train station. The doors slid open, allowing me to take my first steps into Inaba. It was a very quiet place, compared to Iwatodai. Much smaller as well. For one thing, I could actually hear the birds chirping.

Not that there weren't any birds back in the city, it was just I could hear them a lot clearer. Standing at the entrance, I looked around for my uncle, who said that he would be meeting me there.

"Hey! Over here!" I heard a male voice call out to me. Looking in the direction where it came from, I saw a middle aged man with short, greyish black hair, grey eyes and a stubble. He wore a dark grey shirt with rolled up sleeves, a red tie and a brown belt with metal buckle along with a pair of dress pants as well as dark brown dress shoes.

I saw that he also had a black jacket which he carried over his shoulder. I didn't blame him. Wearing a jacket like that in the sun was a _horrible_ idea. I walked over to him.

"Well, you certainly look different from your photo," he said with a disarming smile. "Welcome to Inaba. I'm Ryotaro Dojima. I'll be looking after you. Let's see, I'm your mother's younger brother and that about sums it up."

"It's been a long time, uncle," I said with a blank expression.

"Indeed. Haven't seen you since that incident in Iwatodai," Dojima responded. "How long has it been now? Ten years?"

"A little more than that." A few years had passed since I was last in Iwatodai. I hadn't set foot there ever since a certain incident involving one of the last schools I was at. I looked down and saw that my uncle had brought someone along with him.

Seeing where I was looking, he brought the young girl out of hiding. She didn't look any older than six years old—she had brown hair, short pigtails and brown eyes. She was wearing a white turtleneck shirt under a sleeveless pink dress with two shades of red, white socks and pink shoes. She looked nervous about seeing me.

"This here's my daughter. C'mon, Nanako, say hello to your cousin," Dojima encouraged her. She barely made eye contact with me before turning away.

"...'lo," she murmured before running behind her dad. Dojima let out a short laugh.

"Haha, what are you so shy for?" he asked her teasingly. Nanako wasn't having any of that though and smacked her dad on the leg. "Ow!" He continued to laugh before turning back to look at me. "Let's get going. My car's over there."

Letting Nanako lead the way, they helped me pack my things into the trunk and then we set off for the Dojima household.

~ Book of Souls ~

The ride through the town was just as quiet as Inaba itself. I had settled for watching the buildings pass us by out the window. Nanako sat up at the front with her dad while I sat at the back.

"...I heard about what happened to your friends," Dojima said with a serious tone. "It's a damn shame."

"Yeah... It is..." I didn't say much until we stopped at the petrol station. We got out of the car as the attendant ran up to it.

"Hi! Welcome to Moel!" he said. Dojima turned to look at Nanako.

"Can you go to the bathroom by yourself?" he asked her. Nanako gave a short nod in response.

"Uh-huh."

Nanako walked in the direction of where I assumed was the bathroom before the attendant called out to her, making her stop in her tracks.

"It's in the back, to the left. You know which way's left? The side you don't hold your chopsticks."

_Don't know if that's supposed to be a joke or not. If it is, it's stupid._

Nanako seemed to agree with my internal thoughts.

"I know... Geez..." she said, sounding a little annoyed before leaving. The attendant looked at my uncle.

"Are you taking a trip?" he asked. Dojima shook his head.

"No, we were just picking her up. She just moved here from the big city."

"The big city, huh?" he asked curiously.

"Fill up my car while you're at it. Regular's fine."

"Right away, sir!"

Dojima looked to his right towards the road.

"Good a time as any for a smoke..." He walked off to do just that, leaving me to watch while the attendant filled the car up with petrol.

"Are you in high school?" the attendant suddenly asked, grabbing my attention.

"...Yeah, I am," I answered carefully.

"Does it surprise you to see how little there is out here? There's not much to do, so you'll probably get bored pretty quickly. You'll either be hanging out with friends or doing part-time jobs."

"I don't have any friends," I responded curtly.

"Ah, of course. Sorry if I offended you. Speaking of part-time work, we're actually looking for part-time help right now."

"I think I'll pass," I told him, seeing what he was suggesting.

"Give it some thought, why don't you? We don't mind if you're a student," he said, stretching out his hand towards me.

"...Alright, I'll keep it in mind." I took a grip of his hand and shook it. Suddenly, he very quickly leaned in to whisper something in my ear. His words were confusing and didn't make much sense to me.

"You can't save her," he told me, his voice taking on a completely different tone than before. It almost sounded threatening.

"...What?" I asked, slightly worried. He backed off just as quickly when Nanako suddenly made her reappearance.

"Oh, I should get back to work!" He ran off. I walked over to Nanako, but when I stepped past the tire I couldn't help but look in the direction he ran off in.

"Are you alright?" Nanako asked me. "You don't look so good."

"...I'm fine."

_Now that she mentions it, I do feel kinda dizzy... What's wrong with me today?_

Dojima walked back from his smoke and noticed that something was up.

"What's wrong? You okay?" he asked. I shook my head to try and get rid of the dizziness.

"I just feel a little light-headed," I told him.

"That's understandable. You must be exhausted from the trip," he said with an understanding tone. "I think he's done now. We should get going."

~ Book of Souls ~

The car slowly came to a stop outside a quaint and modern house on the eastern edge of Inaba. I assumed that the house we stopped at was Dojima's house and got out of the car. We got all my luggage—which wasn't much—out the trunk and moved them into the room I would be staying in.

The hours ticked way until it was time for dinner. A simple take-out dinner, which I didn't mind. Working in a fast-food joint for an amount of time had made me indifferent about it. We all had drinks as well. Dojima had a can of beer, Nanako had a juice carton and I had a soda.

"Let's have a toast." Dojima raised his can in the air. Nanako and I followed suit and then we took a drink before setting them down.

"So... Your mom is busy with something important, right? I know it's only for a year, but getting stuck in a place like this because of your parent... It's rough being a kid. Well, it's just me and Nanako here, so it'll be nice to have someone else around. So long as you're here, you're part of the family. So make yourself at home."

"I thank you for the hospitality," I said, bowing my head a little. Dojima chuckled dryly.

"Oh come on. There's no need to act so formal. Look, you're making Nanako all tense!" he pointed out, which served to make her tense up even more than before. "Anyway, let's eat."

We were about to dig in until we heard a soft ringing noise.

"Ugh... Who's calling at this hour?" He dug through his pockets and brought out his cell phone which he held up to his ear. "...Dojima speaking."

He stood up and walked to the kitchen table. The Dojima's home was quite small, consisting of a living room and kitchen that weren't separated, three bedrooms and a bathroom upstairs.

"Yeah? I see... So where is it?" He didn't look happy with the response he was given. "Alright, I'm on my way..." He hung up and looked down at the device before pocketing it. "Looks like I made the right choice to skip the booze." He turned back to look at me and Nanako. "Sorry, but I gotta take care of some business. Go ahead and eat without me. I don't know how late I'll be. Nanako, you help her out, okay?"

"...Okay," Nanako responded sadly. Her voice made it clear that this was a common occurrence. Dojima walked over to the front door and opened it, immediately the sound of pouring rain reached my ears.

"Nanako, it's raining out! What did you do to the laundry?!"

"I already brought it in!"

"...Alright. Well, I'm off." He closed the door behind him as he left, leaving me alone with my cousin. Nanako grabbed the TV remote and turned the TV on. The weather channel was the first thing to appear on the screen.

"—for this week. Next, let's take a look at the hourly breakdown of tomorrow's weather. With storm clouds moving from the west, expect rain throughout the day tomorrow in most areas."

_Great... Can't stand weather like that._

"Let's eat," Nanako said, her voice having no emotion in it. While she ate most of her food, I did not.

_...I might want to try and talk to her._

"...So, what does your dad do?" I asked.

"He... investigates stuff? Like crime scenes."

"Oh, so he's a detective?"

Nanako nodded her head.

"And now for the local news," I heard the newscaster say, which drew my attention to the TV. "City council secretary, Taro Namatame, is under fire for an alleged relationship with a female reporter."

The TV showed a picture of this Taro Namatame; a man with short black hair, brown eyes and a mole on his forehead wearing a suit. The picture then changed to a woman who had brown hair tied in a bun, brown eyes, purple eye-shadow and wore a red kimono with a pink sash.

"His wife, enka ballad sensation Misuzu Hiiragi, revealed to this station that she will likely pursue damages. In response, Eye Television has decided to cancel all of announcer Mayumi Yamano's televised appearances."

Now the picture changed from the enka singer to Mayumi Yamano; a young woman with short black hair and brown eyes wearing a white collared shirt.

"Until allegations of an affair with Mr. Namatame are resolved, she'll remain off the air and out of the public eye."

"...This is boring." Nanako changed the channel quickly after saying that. A commercial was playing.

"At Junes, everybody is Customer Appreciation Day. Come see for yourself, and get in touch with our products! _Every day's great at your Junes!~_" The commercial ended with a jingle which I was sure would get stuck in my head if I listened to it a few more times. It was one of those jingles.

"_'Every day's great at your Junes!~'_" Nanako repeated, smiling and waving her arm as she did so. It was the first time I actually seen her smile. That smile disappeared though when the commercial changed and she looked at me again. "Are you going to eat?" she asked, just as emotionless as before.

I scrambled to grab the chopsticks next to the plate and dug in.

~ Book of Souls ~

It was already quite late when I went up to my room. Dojima hadn't returned and Nanako told me to get some rest. A bunch of boxes were stacked in front of the couch, but I couldn't be bothered unpacking them at that hour and decided to just go to bed. A futon was set up in the corner for me to use; it wasn't exactly the most comfortable thing in the world but I could bear it.

As I closed my eyes, one thought swam through my head.

_Stuck here for an entire year..._

When I awoke, it wasn't in my new room. No, it was some place else entirely. I got up onto my feet and tried to look around me but a thick fog surrounded me, preventing me from seeing further in. I could barely make out a pathway leading forward and, seeing no other option, I walked.

The path I walked seemed to go on forever, nothing suggesting that it had an end. I was proven wrong however when I saw something resembling a doorway. Curious, and seeing no other way forward, or out of there for that matter, I opened it.

I stumbled upon a huge room, I wasn't sure how huge it was because of the fog blocking my sight. I tried to look around the room and saw a figure obscured by fog. I couldn't make out what kind of creature it was, but it was a massive figure.

"So... You're the one," the figure said in a distinctly male voice. His voice was loud and booming, so loud I could feel the beginning of a headache forming. I held my head as the pounding became more and more pronounced.

"This world is weak. I can feel it in the trees, in the wind, in the very earth itself. Humanity's desires are an extension of that weakness. You can see this weakness in the world and destroy it with your own hands. No matter how much you struggle, you won't be able to change your fate... And the fog around your heart and mind will only grow thicker..."

That was all I heard before the throbbing in my head became too much for me to handle and I collapsed.


	3. Chapter II

~ _**Chapter II: "I don't have to be afraid." **_~

"_You know the truth, don't you? What your power does to you? I await the day you lose yourself and destroy the one you love, traitor!"_

I sat up in my bed, rather violently, and breathed in and out heavily. It was a nightmare. I knew that for certain. What I couldn't know for certain was what happened in the dream itself.

_...I don't know why, but... It doesn't matter for now. I should get ready for school._

Though those thoughts ran through my mind, I couldn't help but place a hand over where my heart would be. I shook my head and got dressed. Heading downstairs, I was bombarded with the smell of eggs, toast and bacon.

Dojima wasn't around; either he went to work early or he didn't come home at all. I wasn't sure which of those was worse. Maybe the case he was working on was a lot tougher than I thought? I went over to the kitchen table and sat down as Nanako placed a third plate down.

"Let's eat," she said to me. I couldn't help but notice that the food was freshly baked. My uncle certainly didn't cook it. That much was obvious, since he was out. So the one who could have was Nanako.

"Did you cook all this?" I asked, cutting into the bacon and placing it in my mouth. It was absolutely delicious.

"I can make toast... And cook sunny-side up eggs in the morning," she replied. "Dad can't cook, so I buy dinner."

_So she has to take care of herself..._

"You're starting school today, right?" I nodded my head in response to her query. "My school's on the way, so let's go together," she said, giving me a small smile. Despite that, I could tell she was somewhat restless.

We finished our breakfast and headed out. We walked together, not saying a word, until we reached the riverbank. This town really was quite small. It didn't take too long to walk from place to place. When we reached the intersection, Nanako stopped and pointed to the east.

"You keep going straight from here," she told me before turning around. "My school's this way. Bye!" With a smile, she walked off, leaving me to my own devices. Knowing that I would be late if I wasted any more time, I walked in the direction Nanako told me.

I reached the intersection near the school, I would say a couple of minutes away from it. I saw a couple of students with umbrellas with them. It was quite a rainy day, now that I think about it. I didn't normally pay attention to stuff like weather unless it's forecasting sunny days, though I had the foresight to bring an umbrella.

"Whoooooa!" I heard someone yell. I looked back and saw a male student on his bake, trying to balance an umbrella in his hand and keep the bike stable on the slippery road. He wasn't doing all that great. I watched as he barrelled past me and ended up crashing straight into a telephone post.

_Ouch... That looked painful. __**Very**_ _painful. Looks like he hit his balls on something during the impact._

"Ngh... Urrrrghhhh..." he let out painfully, clutching his nether regions with a pained expression on his face.

_...There isn't a lot I can do for him. I should leave him be._

With an internal apology to the troubled male, I walked past him and continued on my way to the school.

~ Book of Souls ~

_Man, Yasogami High is a small place... I like it. Small is good. Don't think I could take being in a big school again. I just hope I can get through this year without any trouble._

I followed a hunched over male teacher through the halls. Probably in his late 30's, black hair in a bob cut, hazel eyes and buck teeth which I found odd but I wasn't one to judge people on first appearances... Most of the time.

I walked into my classroom with him. The man hadn't said a word during the walk through the halls, but he didn't seem to like the fact that his class was animated with the chatter of the other students.

"Awright, shut your traps!" he yelled with an annoying tone. Yup, already hated him. "I'm Kinshiro Morooka, your homeroom teacher from today forward! First things first! Just 'cause it's spring doesn't mean you can swoon over each other like love-struck baboons. Long as I'm around, your students are going to be pure as the driven snow!"

The other students looked very awkward listening to this.

_You try standing up here with the guy._

"Now I hate wasting my time, so I better introduce this transfer student." He turned his head to look at me. "Write your name on the board!" he ordered. I did so while he continued to speak.

"This sad sack's been thrown from the big city out to the middle of nowhere like yesterday's garbage. And she's just as much of a loser here as she was there, so you guys better not get any ideas hitting on her!"

I had finished writing my name on the board when he said that. I had planned to keep civil during my time here, to be as polite as possible so I didn't draw attention to myself.

_...Nuts to that, I say._

"...Who're you calling a loser, you buck-toothed moron?" I asked, clearly so the entire class could hear it. The other students gasped. Mr. Morooka looked very pissed off at me.

"That's it, you're on my shit list, effective immediately!" he yelled while I had a small smirk on my face.

"Language," I said. "It isn't very nice for a teacher to swear at his students." That served to agitate him even further.

"Now listen up! This town is miles away from your big city of perverts and assholes, in more ways than one. You better not even think of getting involved with the guys here, let alone leading them on!"

_Yeah, sure... Whatever._

"But what do I know... it's not like the old days. Even here, kids grow up so damn fast. Every time I turn my back, you're fooling around on your damn phones, checking your LifeJournals and your MyPlaces..."

Mr. Morooka just kept going on and on and on and for the love of all that is holy, make it stop! Luckily, someone raised their hand. A female student, who actually stood out among the other students due to her green jacket with several buttons. She had brown bowl-shaped hair and brown eyes.

"Excuse me!" she called out through Morooka's inane ramblings. "Is it okay if the transfer student sits here?" she asked, pointing out the empty seat next to her. Morooka looked at her, a little confused but mostly annoyed.

"Huh? Yeah, sure. Ya hear that? Your seat's over there," he told me. "So hurry up and siddown already!"

_Good. Anything to get away from this._

I walked over to my seat and sat down the next to the girl, my saviour. As soon as I had sat down, she leaned over slightly so she could whisper to me.

"He's the worst, huh? Rotten luck for you to get stuck in Morooka's class... Well, we just have to endure for the year."

She stood back up straight and kept her eyes at the front of the room. I could hear the other students speaking all around me.

"Sucks to be the transfer student, ending up in King Moron's class on the first morning here..."

"Yeah, he won't think twice about suspending you if you get on his bad side. Then again, we're all in the same boat..."

"Shut your traps!" King Moron shouted. I liked that nickname: King Moron. I had decided to call him Mr. Moron from that moment on. "I'm taking roll, and I damn well expect you to respond in an orderly manner!"

~ Book of Souls ~

"That's all for today. Normal lectures will start tomorrow."

_Thank God, I thought it would never end!_

Some students got out of their seats as Moron walked towards the door. The beginnings of the students chatter were interrupted by the sound of the school's PA going on.

"Attention, all teachers," the female voice boomed through the students. "Please report immediately to the Faculty Office for a brief meeting. All students must return to their classrooms and are not to leave until further notice."

Mr. Moron turned to look at us.

"Hrnh. You heard the announcement. Don't go anywhere unless you hear otherwise." He left the room, leaving us with those parting words. The sounds of police sirens could be heard from outside, and some of my fellow classmates ran to the windows.

"Did something happen? Don't those sirens sound really close?"

"Ugh, I can't see a damn thing. Frickin' fog..."

"Yeah, like every time it rains lately, it gets all foggy."

"Hey, did you hear? I hear the paparazzi's looking all over for that announcer."

"Oh yeah, you mean Mayumi Yamano, right?"

"I hear some guys spotted her at the shopping district."

"Actually, I heard that..." The male student leaned in and whispered the next part into the other guy's ear so I couldn't actually hear what he was saying. The other student sounded surprised though.

"Are you serious?!" The student walked around the tables until he reached the one diagonally across from my desk. "H-Hey, Yukiko-san. Mind if I ask you something? Is it true that announcer's staying at your family's inn?" he asked the black-haired woman sitting at her desk.

"I can't discuss such things," she responded with an even tone.

"Y-Yeah, I guess not..." The student ran off after getting brushed off. My saviour walked up to the black-haired woman and sighed.

"Sheesh, how much longer is this going to take?" she asked the woman who shrugged her shoulders.

"There's no telling," she replied. The saviour girl looked down at the floor dejected.

"I shouda left before the announcement came on..." She perked back up pretty quickly though. "By the way, didja try what I told you the other day?" The black-haired girl probably looked confused. I knew that I was; I had no clue what they were talking about. "You know... The thing about rainy nights..."

"Oh... No, not yet. Sorry," the black-haired girl apologised.

"Ahhh, it's okay. It's just, I heard a guy in the class next door yell something like _'My soul mate is Yamano, the announcer!'_"

_Whatever this is about, it must be really stupid..._

The school P.A chimed again, and the class fell silent as we listened to what it had to say.

"Attention, all students. There has been an incident inside the school district. Police officers have been dispatched around the School Zone. Please stay calm and contact your parents or guardians as soon as possible, and quickly leave the school grounds. Do not disturb the police officers. Head directly home."

This announcement sent the classroom ablaze with discussion.

"Incident?!"

"What, something actually happened?"

"C'mon, let's go take a look!"

I had packed all my stuff away by this point and was just waiting for the all-clear to go home. Now that I had that, I stood up.

"Hey, are you going home by yourself? Why don't you come with us?" my saviour in the green jacket asked, smiling before she smacked herself in the head a little. "Oh, nearly forgot! I'm Chie Satonaka. You know I sit next to you right?"

I nodded my head.

"Thanks for saving me from Mr. Moron," I told her, which made her laugh a little.

"Well, it's nice to meet you." She looked to the black-haired girl on her left; she wore the standard Yasogami High uniform along with a red sweater. She had long eyelashes and black eyes. She had long, straight black hair which she keeps neat with a red headband. Methinks she likes the colour red. "This is Yukiko Amagi."

"Oh, nice to meet you..." Yukiko said politely. "I'm sorry that this is so sudden..."

"C'mon, don't apologise like that!" Chie said, sounding a little worried. "It makes me look like I got no upbringing. I just wanted to ask some stuff, that's all."

I chuckled a little.

"It's quite alright," I said. "If it's on the way, I'll walk with you."

"Cool!" Chie said cheerfully. We started to make our way out, but a certain male student stood in our path.

_Wasn't he the guy who busted his nuts on the telephone poll?_

The male student had slightly messy fawn coloured hair and brown eyes. He wore the standard uniform like everyone else but he had headphones hanging around his neck. Right now, the guy was looking pretty nervous about something.

"Uh, umm, Miss Satonaka...?" he said, a hint of fear in his tone. He reached into his bag and pulled out a case. Looked like a DVD. "This was really awesome. Like, the way they moved was just amazing to see..." He suddenly bowed and held out the DVD to Chie like he was presenting a gift to an Empress.

"And... I'm really sorry! It was an accident! Please just have mercy until my next paycheck!"

Chie snatched the DVD from the guy's hands quickly.

"See ya! Thanks!" The guy tried to walk quickly to the door, to escape the hurricane, but Chie was right on his heels.

"Stop right there! What did you do to my DVD?!"

What happened next was not safe for minors to witness. Chie had caught up to him and gave him a swift, hard kick right to his man parts.

"Argh!" he cried out in pain. Yukiko and I walked over to Chie as she opened the DVD case to inspect the damage. Chie didn't like what she saw.

"What the?! I can't believe this! It's completely cracked..." She looked on the verge of tears upon seeing that her prized DVD had a crack right down the middle, making it pretty much worthless. "Waahhhh! My _'Trial of the Dragon'_!"

"I think mine's cracked too..." the guy said, clutching his nether region with a pained expression, again. "C-Critial hit to the nads..."

"A-Are you alright?" Yukiko asked the poor guy, who looked up at her, trying to smile despite the pain he was probably in.

"Oh, Yukiko-san... Are you worried about me?"

"He's fine, Yukiko!" Chie said, sounding really annoyed. "Let's just ditch him and go home."

Chie and Yukiko left the classroom. I couldn't help but give him one last look of pity.

_...There's not a lot I can do for him. I should leave him be..._

~ Book of Souls ~

Chie, Yukiko and I walked out of the school building. The rain had stopped and the fog had cleared up a little, but the atmosphere was still dreary. We had made it to the gate when we were stopped by someone. A male who looked rather... fish-like, if I had to describe him. His black eyes and messy hair. I don't know, he just reminded me of a fish.

He didn't go to Yasogami High; the uniform he wore made that clear. Which begged the question of why he was there.

"You're Yuki, right?" he addressed Yukiko very creepily. I shuddered unintentionally from hearing that name, but thankfully, no-one noticed. "Y-You want to go hang out somewhere?"

Yukiko looked perplexed about the student standing in front of her.

"What? Wh-Who are you?"

"What's up with him? What school he's from?" I heard a male student ask from behind us.

"Never mind that. He's going for Yukiko-san?" the person behind him pointed out. "Man, you'd think he'd wait until she's alone to make his move..."

"I bet you a can of TaP he gets knocked out."

"No bet. Haven't you heard how difficult the Amagi Challenge is?"

The two males chatted excitedly while we turned out attention back to the strange student.

"Um, s-so... are you coming or not?" the student asked forcefully, which made Yukiko feel uncomfortable.

"I-I'm not going..." Yukiko said, rejecting him.

"...Fine!" he shouted, running off down the small slope. Yukiko turned to look at us.

"Wh-What did he want from me?" Yukiko asked us, confusion evident in her expression. Chie and I looked at her incredulously.

"What did he want...? Obviously, he was asking you out on a date," Chie pointed out to her, which only seemed to make her more confused.

"Huh? Really...?"

"You really had no clue? Sheesh..." Chie sighed. "But then again, that was _way _over the top. It was creepy how he called you Yuki all of a sudden."

The sound of a squeaky bike reached our ears and I saw the _Trial of the Dragon Destroyer_ walk around the corner with his bike.

"Yo, Yukiko-san," he greeted her, sounding much better. "Turned down another lovelorn fool, huh? Man, you're cruel... You got me the same way last year."

Yukiko had a nasty habit of being confused about stuff. I'd seen that expression at least three times now.

"I don't recall doing that."

"Whoa, you serious?" he asked, an excited and hopeful glint in his eyes. "So then, you wanna hang out sometime?!"

"...I'd rather not."

_Ouch, shot down almost immediately._

"That'll teach me to get my hopes up..." He sighed, getting on his bike. "Anyway, you two better not pick on the transfer student too much." He rode off just as Chie stomped the ground with her foot in irritation.

"We're just curious, is all!" Chie shouted after him. I saw from the corner of my eye that Yukiko had turned her head to look at me.

"U-Um, I'm sorry for dragging you into this..."

"Does this sort of thing happen all the time?" I asked curiously.

"Not that I can remember..." Yukiko looked like as if she was trying to recall any of those times.

Chie looked around us and saw that a group of students had gathered. Probably wondering what all the commotion was.

"C'mon, let's go, people are staring."

Chie had walked off quickly, leaving Yukiko and I struggling to keep up with her.

~ Book of Souls ~

We had walked through the mostly empty streets of the school district, making light conversation along the way.

"Ah... So you came here because of your mother's job. Haha, I thought it was something more serious," Chie had told me after I had finished explaining why I was transferred to Inaba to begin with. Chie looked out at the farm and the hills near us.

"There really is nothing here, huh? That's what makes it nice but there isn't much we can show to people from outside. Though, there is something from Mount Yasogami..." Chie placed her hand on her chin as she thought about this. "I think our dyed clothes or pottery or something is kinda famous."

"I can see what you mean about there not being much to show," I said, nodding my head. "Inaba is a small place after all."

"Oh wait, there's the Amagi Inn! Yukiko's family runs it. It's the pride of Inaba!" Chie proclaimed proudly. Yukiko was very modest. This conversation was a clear indication of that to me.

"Huh? It's... just an old inn," she told us. Chie seemed determined to argue this point however.

"No way, it's been in all sortsa magazines as a hidden treasure. It's a great inn! It's going for generations, and Yukiko here is going to take over someday. Their inn actually attracts a lot of visitors to Inaba. It pretty much keeps this town going."

"...I don't think that's entirely true," Yukiko said softly.

"So, tell me. You think Yukiko's cute, huh?" Chie suddenly asked me. I had to go over what she said in my mind to make sure I heard her right.

"What's this all of a sudden...?" I looked over at Yukiko.

_Well... She is pretty, that much is undeniable._

I nodded my head in agreement.

"Yeah, I think so," I told Chie, who had a victorious smile on her face.

"I knew it!" she cheered. Yukiko didn't exactly look happy with the way the conversation was going.

"Come on... Don't start this again..."

"She's really popular at school, but she's never had a boyfriend. Kinda weird, huh?" Yukiko's face glowed bright red thanks to Chie's words.

"C-Come on, stop it!" she said to Chie. "Y-You shouldn't believe that, okay?" she told me. "It's not true that I'm popular or that I've never had a boyfriend!"

_Denying that a little too quickly, don't you think?_

"Wait, n-no! What I meant to say was that I-I don't need a boyfriend!" She turned her head away from me. "Geez... Chie!"

Chie was having a good time teasing Yukiko, judging from her laughter.

"Hahaha! Sorry, I'm sorry. But this is our chance to talk to someone from the big city, and you barely said a word!" Chie's eyes widened a little as she looked further down the street. "Hey, what's that?"

She pointed out the small crowd gathered near the intersection. We went over to investigate and saw that they were gathered near a police barricade.

"So that high schooler left school early, and as she came down this street..."

The two women there were having a conversation. I couldn't help but listen in, curious about what happened myself.

"Wow. Who could imagine _that _hanging from an antenna?"

"I wanted to see it too."

"You got here too late. The police and the fire department took it down just a moment ago."

"Well, I think it's terrifying. I can't believe a dead body showed up around here..."

_What?! A dead body?!_

"Wait... What did she just say? A dead body?!" Chie asked aloud; we were all shocked to hear the news, but Chie and Yukiko even more so. I guess being in a quiet town such as this didn't exactly lend itself to stuff like that. I wasn't expecting it; my first impressions of the town being that it would be a quiet place to spend the year.

From the corner of my eye, I saw my uncle walking around. Of course, he would be investigating this. He caught sight of us and walked over to us.

"Hey, what're you doing here?" he asked, looking calm.

"We were on our way home," I explained to him. "We were just passing by."

"Huh... I should have figured that'd happen," he said to himself. "That damn principal. We told him not to let them through here..."

"You know this guy, Yuka...?" Chie asked, looking at me. I nodded my head.

"Yeah, this is my uncle," I told them.

"I'm Detective Dojima, her guardian. Uhh... Well, how should I say this... I hope you get along with her," he told Chie and Yukiko, looking really awkward. He must still have been in _'work mode'_. "But you three should really stop wandering around and head straight home."

He started to walk back to the crime scene but a young male went running past us; clasping a hand over his mouth. I didn't get a good look at him but he squatted down near a bush and started to puke.

_Okay, eww..._

"Adachi! How long are you going to act like a rookie? You want to get sent back to the central office?!" Dojima yelled at the suited man. I guessed that this Adachi works for him,

"I-I'm sorry... Nngh..." He puked again after sputtering out an apology. Dojima sighed.

"Go wash your face. We're going to go around and gather information!"

Dojima walked back to one of the other officers that was there, Adachi following close behind.

"Was this what that announcement was about...?" Chie asked worriedly.

"Most likely," I responded, wrapping a bit of my hair around my finger.

"What do they mean... it was hanging from the antenna...?" Yukiko wondered herself. The idea of a body hanging from an antenna wouldn't sit right with most folk. Chie and Yukiko both looked unnerved.

"Hey, Yukiko...? Why don't we go to Junes some other time?"

"Good idea."

"Alright then, we're taking off," Chie said to me. "Starting tomorrow, neighbour, let's do our best."

"Alright, see you tomorrow then," I responded as they walked off. With nothing important to do outside, I went back to the Dojima's house.

~ Book of Souls ~

It was evening, and Dojima had still not returned. Nanako and I sat at the living room table, watching the news. Nanako didn't seem all that interested on what was on the television and was more worried about her dad it would seem.

"I wonder if Dad's not coming home again tonight..."

I glanced at Nanako and she looked sad since her father wasn't around. I wasn't sure if I could say anything to cheer her up so I kept silent.

"Our top story this evening concerns a bizarre case in a quiet suburb," the newscaster's voice crackled from the TV's speakers. They were going to talk about what happened. I mean, it's kinda obvious that a murder would make the news.

"Around noon today, a woman was found dead near the Samegawa River in Inaba." They showed a picture of the School Zone as he spoke, the picture then changed to a picture of a woman who I didn't expect to see.

"The deceased has been identified as Ms. Mayumi Yamano, a 27-year-old announcer at the local television station. The initial results of the Inaba Police Department's investigation have revealed—"

"Ah! The Inaba Police Department! Th-That's where Dad works!" Nanako yelled over the newscaster, her eyes widened and spoke wonders of the fear she felt. I just had to say something at this point.

"It'll be alright," I told her calmly. She seemed to calm down as I told her this.

"...I know. It's his job, so this stuff happens."

"The body was found hanging from a large television antenna atop a local resident's roof," the newscaster continued on with his report.

"Authorities are uncertain as to why the body was in such a state. With the cause of death also uncertain, police continue to investigate whether the death was an accident or a homicide. A thick fog common to the area has slowed their progress, and plans to fully canvass the area have been delayed until tomorrow..."

_So the TV announcer's been found dead. Wasn't she the one involved with that scandal with the council secretary?_

"They found her on the roof? That's scary..." Nanako said, taking a drink out of her juice carton. Her face brightened up when a familiar jingle made itself known. "Oh! It's Junes!"

"At Junes, every day is Customer Appreciation Day. Come see for yourself, and get in touch with our products! _Every day's great at your Junes!~_"

"_'Every day's great at your Junes!~'_" Nanako sang along with the commercial. She looked at me with a cheerful smile on her face. I think she expected me to sing along as well.

_...Eh, why not?_

"_'Every day's great at your Junes!~'_" I parroted, smiling and imitating Nanako's little hand movement, much to her joy.

"You memorised it already? I'm the best in my class!" she told me, continuing to sing the jingle under her breath. I couldn't help but leave my smile on my face—she had forgotten all about the news story.

The commercial changed again; this time a commercial for an energy drink. The idol in the commercial was one most would recognise: Rise Kujikawa. A beautiful girl who, wearing the latest in fashion and with her music, has caught the hearts and minds of many a male—and some females—out there. She was wearing a bikini and standing under a torrent of water, kinda like a waterfall. The scene changed to Rise drinking out of a can.

"I'm tired of diets, and enough of going to the gym! Good thing there's something even I can handle!"

She tilts her head in a fashion that made her look rather cute as a picture of a can faded in with a nifty water-like effect.

"Slim down this summer with the refreshing taste of Calorie Magic," a male voice said, closing off the commercial. Nanako stood up and went to the kitchen.

"Is ramen okay for tonight?" she asked.

"...Yeah."

After having dinner, I went back up to my room. Many boxes were still left to unpack, but I was feeling too tired from the day's events. So I all but collapsed onto the futon. As I slowly drifted to sleep, my thoughts turned to what happened earlier. How the dead body ended up on the antenna like that. I couldn't help but feel slightly worried about it but I thought it would be best if I left it to the police.

"I don't have to be afraid... Not of this."


	4. Chapter III

~ _**Chapter III: "You ever hear of the Midnight Channel?"**_ ~

My night's sleep wasn't plagued by dreams that time and the morning at the Dojima's residence wasn't very eventful. My uncle hadn't returned and Nanako made breakfast again—it was still very delicious. I walked down the street towards Yasogami High. I would like to say that was all that had happened, but things in my life were never that simple. Though I certainly wished it were so at times.

As I walked down toward the intersection, a peculiar thing happened. Someone came speeding down the street on their bike, they went so quickly I didn't even see that person's face. What I did have the pleasure of seeing was that person crashing and ending up landing face first into the trash can.

I winced at the sound of the impact and walked towards him. I stood there and watched as that poor person rolled about; unable to break free of his very stinky prison.

"S-Someone... Help..." I recognised the voice that, if my memory held true, belonged to the man that I knew as the _Trial of the Dragon Destroyer_.

_...This is just sad. I have to help him out._

Trying not to get dirty myself, I helped the guy out of the trash can. He picked up his bike.

"Whew, you saved me. Thanks!" the _Trial of the Dragon Destroyer _said gratefully. I pointed out the yoghurt cup that still rested in his hair. He quickly grabbed it and threw it back into the trash where it belonged. "Umm... Oh yeah, that's right. You're that transfer student, Yuka Narukami. I'm Yosuke Hanamura. Nice to meet ya," he introduced himself.

"Likewise," I responded with a small smile. He lightly chuckled.

_He seems to be okay. That's good._

"Say, did you hear about that incident from yesterday? They found that announcer lady hanging from an antenna!" Yosuke said, checking the handlebars of his bike to see if they were okay. "You think it was some kinda warning? There's no way something that weird could've been an accident."

_That's very insightful. I had peg him as an idiot, but he's more clever than I give him credit for._

"I think you're right," I said, nodding my head. "Something that bizarre had to be the work of someone."

_Or something..._

"Dangling a dead body over a roof like that... That's just messed up." Yosuke shook his head. "Then again, it's pretty messed up to kill someone in the first place." He glanced down at the watch on his wrist and his eyes widened. "Oh crap! We're late!" He spun his bike around so it was facing towards the school and looked back at me. "You wanna ride? It's a little squeaky, but it should be fine."

_Uh..._

~ Book of Souls ~

The school day passed by in a flash. Mr. Moron was still annoying, so I was glad the day flew by as quickly as it did. I packed up my books and my assignments.

"So, you getting used to this place?" I heard Yosuke ask me. I turned my head to look at him and responded surely.

"More or less," I said, closing my bag up.

"Wow, that was fast," Yosuke said, sounding slightly impressed. "There isn't much to do compared to the big city, but there is that certain... something you can't get anywhere else. The air's clean. The food's great... Oh, you know about the local delicacy?" he asked with an amused smirk. I shrugged my shoulders.

"Should I?"

"It's grilled steak! Like that's anything special, huh? I know a place where you can get it cheap. Wanna come? You helped me out this morning, so it's on me."

I was about to respond, but Chie, almost as if drawn to the mention of food, walked up to us.

"What about me, huh? No apologies? My _'Trial of the Dragon'_," she drew out the last word, making her irritation known to all who hear her. Yosuke looked equally as irritated.

"Urgh... You always come around when I talk about food."

"How about it, Yukiko? Don't you think he should treat us too?" she asked Yukiko, who was in the middle of standing up. She grabbed her bag and let it dangle from her hands.

"I'll pass," Yukiko replied. "I don't want to gain any more weight. I need to help out at the inn today anyway."

"Wow, Yukiko-san! You started training to take over the business?" Yosuke asked curiously.

"It's not like that! I'm just helping out when it gets busy." Her eyes gave away how tough the work could get. It didn't seem as though Chie and Yosuke noticed that. "Well, I should be on my way."

I did see Chie was looking at Yukiko's back with a worried look though. She might have had some idea about what was going on after all, but it wasn't any of my business.

"Oh well. We should get going as well," Chie told Yosuke, who was taken aback.

"Huh? Do I seriously have to treat two people?" he asked, knowing full well what the answer was, if his tone was any indication.

~ Book of Souls ~

Yosuke led Chie and I deep into the inner parts of the town and we ended up at this huge supermarket. It was the same one in the commercial that Nanako was quite fond of singing the jingle to: Junes. Yosuke carried a tray with our orders to the table we were sitting at.

"_This _is the cheap place you were talking about? They don't have grilled steak here," Chie complained as Yosuke sat down.

"Yeah, well, once you hopped on the freeloader train, I had to change my plans," Yosuke snarkily replied.

"Still, that's no reason to take us to your place."

_Wait, __**his**_ _place?_

"Dude, this isn't my place or anything?" Yosuke denied vehemently. He turned his head to look at me, looking as though he just remembered something. "Oh, right. I haven't told you yet, huh? I moved here from another city six months back. This location just opened up, and my dad was assigned to manage it. So our entire family came out here."

He leaned forward and grabbed his drink from the tray.

"Here, this is to welcome you to town."

I grabbed my drink from the tray also.

"Satonaka, yours is on me, too," he told Chie, who was in the process of grabbing her own drink.

"Yeah, I know," she told him as she raised the cup to the air. "Cheers!"

""Cheers!""

We all took a drink out of the cup and set them down in front of us. The conversation was animated with small talk. Mostly Chie and Yosuke arguing or them asking me how my day was.

"It's only been half a year since this place opened up, but I haven't been to the local shopping district much since. A lot of stores there started closing and... Oh, uh..." Chie realised who was sitting right next to her. Yosuke had a slightly disappointed look on his face.

"You can't blame it all on Junes, can you?"

_Something tells me there's a story behind this._

I saw Yosuke look off to his left, and his face brightened up.

"Hey... It's Saki-senpai! Yosuke stood up. "Sorry, be right back."

"Is that Yosuke's girlfriend?" I asked curiously, which made Chie laugh a little.

"Haha, he wishes," Chie told me as Yosuke walked off to meet his not-girlfriend. "That's Saki Konishi. Her family runs a liquor store in the shopping district. I think she's working here part time though..."

_Hmm... I wonder why that is? Must need the extra money or something. Not that I have any right to judge someone on that._

I couldn't hear the two of them clearly, but I did overhear some of the conversation Yosuke and Saki were having.

"Hey, how's it going? You look beat."

"Heeey! I'm finally on break..." Saki said with a high pitched voice. She had long wavy light brown hair, grey eyes and sported a tan. "What's up, Hana-chan? Boosting the family business by bringing your friends here?"

"Madam, you wound me!" Yosuke said, feigning pain with an amused and light-hearted smile, which changed to a worried frown. "Kidding aside... You look down. Did something happen?"

"...It's nothing. I'm just a little tired."

"Hey, if you need to talk, I'm always willing to listen. I..."

Saki chuckled with a hand raised to her mouth.

"I'm fine. Thanks, though." She closed her eyes and sighed. "Why did I leave school early yesterday...?" She looked over in our direction. "Hey, isn't that the girl who transferred here?"

She got off her seat and walked over to me. She seemed cheerful enough, though she definitely did look tired.

"Are you the transfer student?" she asked me. "Oh, did you hear about me already?" It must be nice to have someone else from the big city to talk to, huh?"

"Yeah, I guess so," I responded, nodding my head.

"I don't see Hana-chan hanging out with the other students much," she told me, which made Yosuke panic a little.

"Uh—Not necessarily..."

"He doesn't have too many friends, so I hope you two get along good. Hana-chan's a good guy, but he can get nosy sometimes. You gotta tell him right to his face when he starts to annoy you."

"That's not true at all," I told her. "He's an okay guy."

"Haha, I'm just joking." Saki laughed a little. Yosuke laughed along with her.

"Hahaha... You had me going there Senpai," he said with a slight chuckle at the end.

"Well, my break's just about over. Back to work I go..." She walked off towards the store and waved at us. "Laters!"

"Oh, uh, Senpai...!" Yosuke called out to her, but trailed off as she disappeared from our sight. He sat back down on his chair, folding his arms. "Haha, Saki-senpai says I'm annoying, but she's even nosier than me. She has a younger brother and pretty much treats me the same way..."

The way he spoke told me that he wasn't exactly happy about that. Something that Chie caught on to.

"Ohhh, so you don't want her to treat you like a brother, huh? Haha, I get it... So that's how it is..." Chie said teasingly before raising her hands in an opera like pose. "The daughter of a local family-run liquor store and the scion of the invading chain... Hoho, the flame of forbidden love!" she said dramatically which, I admit, managed to get a chuckle out of me, especially from seeing Yosuke's blushing face.

"What—?! Dude, it's not like that!" he lied. He lied right to our faces.

"Oh reaaaally..." Chie said, still in teasing mode. "Well, I know just the thing to cheer up that lovesick heart. You ever hear of the Midnight Channel?"

"The Midnight... Channel?" I asked confusedly, wondering if it was a local legend or something of the sort.

"You're supposed to look into a TV that's switched off, alone, exactly at midnight on a rainy night," Chie explained. "While you're staring at your own image, another person will appear on the screen... And they say that person's your soulmate."

Yosuke scoffed.

"What? For a second, I thought you were going to say something useful... How can you get excited over a childish urban legend like that?" he asked Chie, not believing what she said at all. Chie looked annoyed, as she usually did when speaking to Yosuke.

"Childish, huh? You don't believe it, do you?!"

"Of course I don't!"

"Well, it's raining tonight! Let's all try it out—then you'll see!"

"Try it out...? Wait, you haven't tried it out yourself?! Wow, I'm trying to remember the last time I heard something this stupid..."

Yosuke's look of disbelief turned neutral as he turned his head to look at me.

"All that aside, you know the incident yesterday? You guys think it was murder?" he asked us.

"I don't know what else it could be," I said, taking another drink out of my cup.

"Ooh, what if the culprit behind it was still lurking around...? Heehee..." he spoke with a creepy tone, which managed to unnerve Chie a little; if only because of the idea he presented.

"Sheesh, you shouldn't joke about that. Now who's the childish one...?"

"I have to agree, it is in poor taste," I told him, keeping my tone neutral.

"All I'm saying is, you guys better try it out tonight," Chie all but ordered us.

_How do I keep getting involved in stuff like this...? Oh well, it's worth a try, at least._

~ Book of Souls ~

Another lonely night at the Dojima residence. Nanako and I sat at the living room table, eating some of the pre-made dinners that Nanako had bought.

"Did your father call?" I asked her but she shook her head.

"No. He always says he will..." she answered, dejected. As soon as she said this, we heard the front door slid open and close. Nanako's face lit up with joy and she jumped to her feet.

"Oh! He's home!"

I turned my head to see Dojima walk in, exhaustion and fatigue evident on his features.

"What a day..." he mumbled to himself as she sat on the couch. "Did anything happen while I was out?"

"Not really," I replied, still eating my dinner.

"You're late again..." Nanako added on, sounding disappointed.

"I'm sorry..." Dojima said. "Been busy with work. Can you put on the news for me?"

Nanako didn't reply. Instead, she sat back down and pushed a button on the TV remote.

"Next, more details in the developing story on the incident in foggy Inaba. Announcer Mayumi Yamano's dead body was found hanging above a house in this isolated rural town. It is confirmed that Ms. Yamano had been involved in an affair with Taro Namatame, husband of enka singer, Misuzu Hiiragi."

It was just a follow-up report about the incident yesterday. Nothing really special or noteworthy about it. Though I had to wonder if the incident could be tied with their lovers quarrel? It certainly was possible. Then again, I was no detective, so I couldn't really do much in the way of deducing stuff.

"The police plan to investigate this relationship and question any personnel involved with them. In addition, we now bring you an exclusive interview with the local student who found Ms. Yamano's body."

_Whoa! They actually found the person who saw it?_

Dojima sighed when he heard this.

"An interview with the kid...? Where the hell did they find her?"

The video changed to show a female student standing near the school intersection. Her face was obscured though, probably for the sake of privacy.

"What went through your mind when you saw it? Could you tell she was dead? Did you see her face?" the reporter asked these questions in quick succession, and rather enthusiastically to boot.

"U-Umm..." the female student said, clearly flustered. They had also modified her voice as well. Even still, I couldn't shake the feeling that I had seen her before.

"Don't you think it's scary that someone was killed on a foggy day?" the reporter asked next, which made the student stand upright.

"Huh...? She was killed?"

"Oh, err... Did you see anyone suspicious around here?"

"No, not really..."

"We heard you found it when you left school early. Did you have some personal business to take care of?"

"Huh? That's..."

Looking at the girl a little more closely, she reminded me of Saki Konishi, Yosuke's Senpai. Though I didn't know her well enough to make an accurate judgement on that.

"—a tragedy that occurred near the local shopping district," the newscaster interrupted the interview, as if knowing it wouldn't get anywhere. "Most storeowners are raising concerns about losing customers as a result—"

"Hmph. If they lose more customers, it'll be because you're making such a stink about it..." I couldn't help but agree with my uncle. Apparently, the phrase _Self-Fulfilling Prophecy _didn't come to mind to these people. The scene changed to a commentator and the newscaster who were discussing candidly the case at hand.

"It really is a bizarre case, isn't it? I mean, hanging someone upside down from an antenna..." the commentator said. "I'd have to say it's a warning or a sign from the culprit."

"Yes, but so far, no-one has come forward to take credit for the crime," the newscaster responded, nodding his head in agreement.

"Loads of prank calls, though..." Dojima added, scratching the back of his head.

"So the cause of death is still unknown? And they don't have a single suspect yet?" the commentator asked, sounding really smug. "Taxpayer's funds are going to a police force who can't even figure out if this is an accident or a homicide?"

_If you think it's that easy, why don't you figure it out?_

"We'll be right back after these messages," the newscaster announced and the news show went to commercials. The first one we saw was a familiar one.

"At Junes, every day is Customer Appreciation Day. Come see for yourself, and get in touch with our products! _Every day's great at your Junes!~_"

"_'Every day's great at your Junes!~'_" Nanako sang once again. "Hey Dad, can we go to Junes together sometime?"

Dojima didn't answer.

"...No?" When we turned to look at him, we saw that he had fallen asleep. The investigation must have been more tiring than we realised. Nanako sighed.

"Geez..." She got up and started clearing the table. "I'll make sure he gets to bed. You just go and get some rest."

"...Alright." I didn't feel good about leaving Nanako to tend to the chores, but if she wanted me to go, I'll go.

_Besides, I can't help but be curious about this Midnight Channel thing. Is it really just an urban legend? I guess I'll find out tonight..._

~ Book of Souls ~

It was almost midnight. I watched as the hands of the clock tick away, drawing ever closer to that fated time.

_Now, what did Chie say? To look at a turned off TV at midnight?_

I could hear rain pouring down outside, just like Chie said. Making sure the TV was off, I watched and waited. Seconds turned to minutes as the clock slowly moved towards midnight. When the two hands were aligned, I looked at the blackened TV. I observed it for about fifteen more seconds before turning away.

_Well, guess that's that._

I was going to go to sleep, but suddenly, the TV turned itself on. Shock flashed across my face as I turned back to look at it. It wasn't much really, all just a bunch of static; though the image did become clear several times, only for a second however, I thought I could see a woman, in some sort of store. It went by too quickly for me to register.

What I was really interested in, however, was the faint energy I could sense coming from the TV.

_Why can I sense that?_

Wondering if it really was coming from the TV itself, I walked over and stretched out a hand towards it. Using my pointer finger, I touched the TV screen. Like dipping into a pool of water, ripples formed on the screen and disappeared when I hastily pulled my hand back. My eyes widened and I stared at the screen with surprise.

_Wh-What is that?_

Curiosity overtaking me, I reached out and touched the screen again—this time putting my hand fully inside the TV. I closed my eyes and tried to sense if there was anything beyond the screen itself. After a few seconds, I could sense a familiar—and deadly—energy rushing towards me and I pulled my hand back before it got too close.

The ripples disappeared, and for a second, the fear that whatever that was would rush out of the TV at any moment coursed through me. When I felt it was safe, I relaxed my posture and sat on the couch.

_Just what is going on here...?_

You would think that I would be freaking out a little more, considering that what had happened was a little weird. But nope, not me. I had been through a few battles myself, so it would take quite a bit to faze me by this point. I have a... unique ability. Though that book of mine has had its power deteriorate over the past few years from dis-use, I still had a couple of tricks up my sleeve in case I needed to defend myself.

Thinking about that ability of mine had got me remembering something that my mom told me a long time ago.

"_Listen to me, Yuka. I didn't want you to get involved in this, but you have. As part of the Narukami family, we can see the truths hidden in the fabric of our world and sever the threads, destroying reality as we see fit. _

_This power comes at a cost though... All power comes with a price to pay. That's just the way it is. You see?_

_I don't know who or what our true enemies are and what they want. Though I cannot use my power anymore, you have inherited it... They'll be coming after you... I just hope you'll be ready when they do."_


	5. Chapter IV

~ _**Chapter IV: The Power to Cut Life **_~

It wasn't easy getting to sleep, that was for sure. I constantly found myself waking up in the middle of the night, thinking I had heard something but it was just the wind brushing by the window. I eventually got to sleep and woke up that morning more than a little cautious. I got dressed silently.

When I reached the door, I found myself looking back at my personal bag, of which I had dumped on the couch. I let out a sigh and walked over to it, unzipping it to take a look at what was inside it. That book...

That book that had been a constant companion in my earlier battles, now gathering dust where no-one else could see. To be honest, I wasn't sure why I brought it along with me. Maybe you could call it nostalgia, or an uneasy feeling. Whatever it was, I felt that I had to bring it along with me.

_...Goddamn book..._

Letting out a sigh, I zipped the bag back up and headed to school with it.

~ Book of Souls ~

"What, are you serious? Sticking your hand into the TV?" Yosuke asked with a chuckle while he ate out of a packed lunch he had with him. I had given him a glare in response.

"Be serious for five seconds! I'm really worried about this!"

"You must've fallen asleep in front of the TV or something." Yosuke looked around the class, noticing that someone was still missing. "Hey, Chie, is Yukiko-san here today?"

"No," Chie said, sounding concerned. "The inn must be running her ragged... Anyway, you guys catch the interview last night? The one with the girl that saw the body? That kinda looked like Saki didn't it?"

Yosuke nodded and brought out his mobile phone, looking a little worried.

"Yeah, I think it was her. She hasn't responded to any of my calls though..."

Our conversation was interrupted by the sound of the school P.A making itself known.

"Attention all students, please report to the assembly hall immediately."

_An assembly? I wonder what's going on?_

Obeying the disembodied voice's wishes, we all made our way to the assembly hall. There were many students whispering amongst themselves, wondering what was going on. Now I would like to say that Chie, Yosuke and I were exempt from this; that we were fine, upstanding students. But then I would be lying.

"I wonder what they're holding an assembly about?" Chie whispered to us. Yosuke stayed silent, obviously worried about his Senpai. I had no comments on the matter myself, so I kept silent too. The principal took centre stage and adjusted the microphone. Old man, bald, long white beard. You know, _that _kind of principal.

"I... regret to say that I have a terrible announcement for all of you. One of our third year students, Saki Konishi of Class 3... has passed away."

_What...? Passed away?_

I immediately turned my head to look at Yosuke, who looked distraught. I couldn't blame him, this news probably the worst thing for him to hear. The principal had more to say however.

"Ms. Konishi was found deceased early this morning. The reasons behind her passing are currently under investigation by the police. If they ask you for your co-operation, I urge you, as members of this school, to provide only the facts."

We had tuned out at that point. Chie and I were worried about Yosuke, who looked really down about it.

_Poor Yosuke... He really liked her as well._

~ Book of Souls ~

The day passed us by, though the melancholy air created by the news of Saki Konishi's death still hung over the school. I packed up my books and looked out the classroom window and saw a heavy rainfall covering the area.

_Depressing weather for a depressing day... Would really like to see the sun._

Seeing Chie still in her seat, I leaned over and poked her in the shoulder, grabbing her attention.

"How's Yosuke?" I asked, noticing how he left as soon as class was over.

"He looked really down. Saki's death must have hit him extremely hard," Chie replied while packing up her own books. "I think he's at the lockers downstairs, we can catch him if we hurry."

Leaving the classroom, we made our way to the entrance, only to overhear this lovely conversation between two female students.

"It's kinda scary, isn't it? She died in the same way as that announcer lady, didn't she?"

"First it was an antenna, now it's a telephone pole."

"Did you hear? Someone said they saw Saki on that Midnight Channel thingie last night. They said that she looked like she was totally in pain."

"Haha, looks like someone had a nightmare. The media's been broadcasting the interview with Saki non-stop, so maybe they might have had her on the brain?"

The two students walked off, continuing to gossip.

"Sheesh, it's easy to toss around theories when you're not involved," Chie said with a disgusted tone. I agreed with her. It was easy to throw around theories and speculation if you're just watching from the sidelines. It's a disgusting thing that humans tend to do.

We heard the sound of a locker closing and we turned to see Yosuke standing near the entrance. We walked tentatively over to him.

"...H-Hey, Yosuke... How are you holding up?" Very stupid question, Chie. He had just found out his not-so-kinda girlfriend had died this afternoon, you know? He was silent. It made the air around us especially awkward. Chie cleared her throat. "So, um... How about we go to Junes? Though in this rain, we might not get something to eat..."

"...There's a sale on electronics right now," Yosuke eventually said, gaining back a bit of his old happy-go-lucky tone. "Who knows?" He turned to look at me with a smile. "Maybe we can find a TV big enough to fit your entire body in."

"I wasn't kidding about that!"

If it helped him get his mind off of Saki, then I was willing to bear the brunt of his teasing. We made our way to Junes underneath our umbrellas, the rain not showing any signs of stopping. We checked out the electronics section and, like Yosuke said, they were having a sale. The TVs they had there were gigantic.

"Whoa!" Chie let out, sharing my amazement. "These TVs are HUGE! And holy crap, they are expensive..." And just as quickly as she became amazed, she became depressed. "Who buts something like this?"

"I dunno. Rich folk?" Yosuke shrugged his shoulders. "Honestly, not many people shop for TVs here. That's why we don't have clerks around."

"Isn't worth trying, I guess. Well, at least looking's free." Chie stared at the gigantic TV in front of us before turning to Yosuke. He seemed to have the same idea as Chie because he turned to look at her before the two of them walked over to the TV and placed their palms on it.

"...Nope, can't get in. Figures," Yosuke said. So they were trying to put their hands in the TV like I could.

"Haha, that proves it. It was all a dream," Chie said, laughing.

_Do you really want to test that?_

"Besides, these flat screen TV's are so small, you'd just end up on the other side..." Yosuke shook his head furiously. "Argh, what am I saying?" He quickly looked at Chie. "So Chie, what kind of TV are you in the market for?"

I wasn't paying attention to their conversation. I was paying more attention to the TV in front of me. I examined it carefully, unsure of what I was actually looking for.

_Hmm... It does look big enough to fit my entire body in... Why am I even considering this? Yuka, stop this. Stop it right now. You're being stupid. You should just not. Do. Anything... Ah, Goddamn it!_

Reaching out to the TV, I placed my palm on it. Much to my total not-shock and amazement, my hand phased through the TV, forming ripples around the area my hand entered. I blinked twice before moving to take my hand out, but I was spotted.

"Hey, Narukami, what kind of TV do you—? Uh..."

"Huh? What's wrong, Yosuke...? Wh-What?"

"I-Is her hand... inside the TV...?"

"...I-Is that a new model? Like, one with special features?"

"Hell no!"

I heard their footsteps run towards me and they spoke with panicked tones.

"You gotta be kidding me? Did you really stick your hand through the TV?" Chie asked. I continued to stare at the ripples continually being formed around my hand.

"Whoa! This is some magic trick! So, what's the witch's secret?" Yosuke asked, sounding absolutely astonished.

_Hmm... Maybe I can stick more than my hand in there._

With this curious thought swimming through my mind, I leaned forward and found myself staring at a vast empty space.

"H-Hey, don't do that!" Yosuke yelled.

"Oh my God!" Chie said in complete shock.

_Wow, this is vast. There's an entire world beyond here._

"There's a lot of empty space inside here, guys," I called out to them, not knowing how far sound could travel in there.

"Wh-What do you mean _'inside'_?!" Yosuke asked with a tone of disbelief.

"Wh-What do you mean _'empty space'_?!" Chie asked with a similar tone.

"Oh wow, there's an echo in here," I said to myself, noticing the noise their voices were making before having a mischievous thought. Very unlike me, but I couldn't help myself.

"ECHO!" I shouted, hearing my voice call back to me. While I was having my fun, I could hear footsteps running around in a panic outside the TV. "What are you guys doing out there? Are you running around like headless chic-KENS?!" That was all I could get out before they tripped into me, making us all fall into the abyss of the TV.

~ Book of Souls ~

We fell and fell and fell through the strange vastness of the TV until, eventually, we saw the ground. Chie and Yosuke landed on their behinds while I manoeuvred myself so I could safely land on my knee. I quickly scanned the area, in case there were any hostiles around, but relaxed when I didn't see anything that seemed malicious. By that time, Yosuke and Chie got back on their feet.

"Ah, I think I broke my ass..." Yosuke groaned, rubbing said ass.

"Where are we...?" Chie asked, taking in the environment around her. I took the chance to properly look around and found myself perplexed by what I saw.

_Is this... a studio lot? It would make sense, given the look of this platform and my surroundings._

Ignoring that, I reached around my back and patted my backpack which somehow survived the fall.

_Good... It's still there._

I then turned to look at the others.

"Are you guys alright?" I asked and got affirmative nods.

"Yeah, we're okay," Chie called out. "Ugh, can't see a thing in this fog."

_Eh?_

"What fog?" I asked, slightly confused. "There's no fog here."

"Are you blind or something? The fog's so thick I can barely see you," Yosuke said, which made me stop to think. They could see fog, while I couldn't. It was quite the mystery, but it was one I would have to solve another time. When we got out of there alive.

"Well, we're here now," I said. "I think we should walk... in that direction." I pointed to the west, feeling that something was going on over there.

"Eh?! You want to go exploring?!" Yosuke asked, a little sceptical of this plan.

"It's our best shot at finding a way out. So quit your bit—Eh?"

Squeak. Squeak. Squeak.

"What's that noise?" I asked, looking around cautiously.

Squeak. Squeak. Squeak.

"Is that squeaking?" Yosuke asked, looking around also.

Squeak. Squeak. Squeak.

The squeaking got louder and louder until I was able to determine where it was coming from. I turned to look and saw quite a sight: a... bear. Some kind of blue furred, red and white jumpsuit wearing, big eyed bear was walking towards us. I would be shocked upon seeing such a thing except... I wasn't.

Had my time in Iwatodai really made me numb to this sort of thing? I guess so. Yosuke and Chie, however, were not.

"Wh-Who is that?!" Yosuke yelled, pointing a shaky finger at the bear. Who stomped his foot several times, looking irritated.

"I should be the one asking that question!" the bear yelled back. "Who are you?!"

"Ahhhh!" Chie screamed. "The bear talks?!" Chie got into a fighting stance and looked at the bear with anger and a little fear. "You wanna fight?!" she yelled, which made the bear cower in fear.

"D-Don't yell at me like that..." he said meekly, a stark contrast to his aggressive tone from earlier.

_He's just scared... Maybe a calm approach would be best here?_

"What is this place?" I asked curiously.

"This place doesn't really have a name," the bear explained, a smile on his face. "I've always lived here."

"You... live here?" Yosuke asked.

"I really think you should get out of here," the bear told us. "Someone's been throwing people in here and it's causing all sorts of problems."

"Throwing people in here...?" I repeated. "What are you talking about?"

"Grrrr, I just wish that person would think before they go and do such a thing," the bear growled, stomping his foot again. "It's been making this world all topsy-turvy."

"Actually, I have a few questions," I said to the bear. "First off... Just who are you?"

"I'm Teddie," the bear which called itself, appropriately enough, Teddie answered.

"Heh, figured it would be something like that," Yosuke said, chuckling a little.

"Second," I interrupted Yosuke, "is it foggy in here? Because I can't see it, but these people here can."

"Yeah, it is." Teddie nodded his head. "You can't see the fog...?" He waddled over to me and poked my stomach with a curious look. "Are you a Teddie as well?"

"Uh... no..." I said. My mind kept coming back to what he said about people being thrown in here, and then images flashed in my mind about what I saw on the Midnight Channel; specifically how the person on it looked like Saki. "Wait, has anyone been in here recently?" I asked. Teddie would know better than most, since he lived in this place after all.

"There was someone here a few days ago," Teddie explained with what I assumed was his thinking face. "They've been gone since yesterday though. I know that when it's foggy in your world, the fog lifts here. That's when the Shadows get violent."

_...No. No. Nononononononono. He did not just say what I think he said._

"When it's foggy out there, it lifts here? Shadows get violent?" Yosuke asked with a confused look before it contorted into a scowl. "Argh, this whole thing gets more confusing by the minute. What is this place anyway? It looks like a TV studio. Is something being filmed here...?"

Yosuke's expression changed, as though he had a sudden revelation.

"Wait, don't tell me that weird show is being filmed here?"

Teddie looked confused at the question, tilting his body a little.

"Weird show? Filmed? What does that mean?"

"Umm... I'm asking whether someone has been filming the people being thrown in here."

"...I don't get it. This world has always been like this. No-one has ever done that filming thing here."

"Uh, run that by me again, if you don't mind," Chie said, sounding and looking very confused by all this.

"Only me and Shadows are here, I've told you before!" Teddie answered somewhat aggressively, which set Yosuke off.

"We don't know what these Shadow things are! Or what you are, for that matter! In fact, I think it's time you took off that ridiculous costume!" Yosuke moved forward and grabbed Teddie's head, pulling on it until it came off with an audible pop. What we saw inside made Chie and Yosyke yelp with surprise.

"What the hell?!" Yosuke yelled, pointing at Teddie, who was completely hollow inside. Teddie was flailing around helplessly. "I-It's empty inside!"

I kept a straight face and picked up Teddie's head.

"He sure is," I said calmly as I help Teddie re-attach his head.

"Thank you," Teddie said, sounding appreciative.

"Yo, Narukami, does _anything _faze you?" Yosuke asked, sounding a little queasy.

"By the way, you looked a little pale back there. Are you okay?" Chie asked. I thought I had managed to hide my shock from them, but I guess not.

"...I'm fine," I told her before turning my attention to Teddie. "By the way, Teddie, what exactly is in that direction?" I pointed off to the west. Teddie looked over there as well.

"Oh, something appeared there recently. I haven't checked it out for myself, the Shadows were very aggressive the other day. It was... beary scary."

_...Must. Resist. Urge. To punch him in the face..._

"Bad pun aside, you think you can take us there?" I asked the bear, which elicited pretty interesting reactions from the others.

"Again, you want to explore this place?!" Yosuke asked me. I simply shrugged my shoulders.

"I'm curious. Something's been bugging me for a while and I want to see it for myself."

_Plus, I want to see if there are any Shadows here..._

"Well, we might as well introduce ourselves. I'm Yosuke Hanamura," Yosuke introduced himself to Teddie.

"And I'm Chie Satonaka," Chie said as well. Teddie gave both of them a short wave.

"I'm Yuka Narukami," I told Teddie, who also waved at me. Teddie's eyes lit up as he pulled something out from behind him.

"Oh, here, you two will probably want to put these on," he told Chie and Yosuke, handing them the pairs of glasses he had in his hand. Yosuke and Chie looked at the objects sceptically before putting them on. Their eyes widened.

"Oh wow, the difference is like night and day!" Yosuke said, looking around. "It's like the fog doesn't even exist."

"They'll help you two walk through the fog," Teddie explained. "Yuka-chan here doesn't need the glasses. She can see just fine without them. I wonder why...?"

"That isn't important right now," I told him quickly. "Can you lead us west of here?"

~ Book of Souls ~

I had Teddie lead us further west, despite his and the others protests. I only really had one thing to say to them: if something happens, take Teddie and get back to that TV studio like place. When they asked about me, I told them that I would be fine. I found myself recognising the area we were walking through. I thought it looked similar from afar, but walking down the roads that were there I saw that we were travelling through the shopping district.

"The magic concentration is really strong here," I said out loud. "This isn't normal."

"This place appeared recently. You say this place looks like your shopping district?" Teddie asked curiously.

"Yeah, it does." I nodded my head. "I've been sensing this energy for a while now, and I wanted to see for myself what it was.

"Sensing magic?" Yosuke said with a confused tone. "What are you two talking about?"

"It has to be something close by..." I looked around, ignoring Yosuke's question. "Something like... that."

I pointed out the store we had just walked past. The magic emanating from that place was cause for concern. I hadn't felt magic that strong ever since that incident three years ago... No, it felt even more potent here, because while the majority of it was concentrated on that tower last time – here, it was an entire world.

"Hey... Isn't this...?" Yosuke seemed to recognise the place. I looked up at the sign and saw that the store was _'Konishi Liquors'_.

_This is Saki's place? Chie did mention that her family runs a liquor store._

"Who would go out of their way to recreate the entire shopping district here?" Chie asked, looking around. "They even got the cracks in the road."

"I don't know. This is reality for those that are here. Some other places have appeared recently as well. Things are getting so tangled, I don't know what to do," Teddie said sadly, which made us turn to look at him. He was standing several feet away from us.

"Hey, why are you standing so far away?" Yosuke asked before an angry look crossed his features.

"You better not be planning to bolt at the first sign of trouble!"

"N-No, of course not!" Teddie denied with rosy cheeks. "I would never do that. I would just get in the way if I'm beside you. So I'm just standing here to act as moral support."

_Right... Sure. Moral support. Gotcha. And what was that about this place being reality for those that are here? That doesn't make a lot of sense._

I sighed and turned back to look at the store. Something felt wrong with this.

"Could this be where Saki disappeared?" I asked aloud and Yosuke overheard this.

"Yeah, it just might be..." He had a very saddened expression as he looked up at the sign.

"...Yosuke..." Chie said softly, sympathy laced in her tone. "Saki didn't deserve to die like that... I'm sorry."

"What are you apologising for?" Yosuke asked without turning to look. "If this is where Senpai died then I owe her to find out exactly what happened... I owe her that much." He walked towards the entrance but was stopped when we heard a growling sound.

"W-Wait, Yosuke! They're here!" Teddie called out to Yosuke, who turned to look at him.

"What?"

"...Shadows...! I had a feeling they would attack!" Teddie looked around fearfully.

I swore under my breath and immediately went to grab my bag from behind my back and unzipped it. I brought out one of the few weapons I possessed: Grimoire Animus. It's a magical tome that was given to me by my mother. A book of souls, so to speak. Placing my hand over the tome, it opened on its own as it cycled through the pages.

_Come on, come on! Where are you?! Dammit, I can't believe this! I thought it was over, but these things are still alive... I guess it's to be expected. As long as there's darkness in human hearts... No matter. I'll just do what I always do. Kill every last one of them._

I looked at the entrance of the store which had opened up on its own. As Teddie said, the Shadows were here and they were coming out in force, drawn to us like moths to a flame. They transformed from their regular, puddle like forms into flying orbs with tongues hanging out. Heh, three years and their designs were as ridiculous as ever.

Animus had reached the page I was searching for and the card I was very familiar with raised into the air.

_...Alright, old friend. Time to fight again._

"Izanagi!" I called out as I closed the book, smashing the card. The Persona known as Izanagi materialised and blocked an incoming attack from a Shadow, pushing it back. "Kill them!" I ordered the Persona, who was more than capable of carrying out that order.

Using his lightning bolts, he fried most of the Shadows on our left. Using his weapon, he chopped the Shadows on our right in half. One by one, the Shadows fell to Izanagi's might. Chie and Yosuke looked on as the Persona cut through Shadow after Shadow with awe. Every swing of his weapon, every lightning bolt that struck, was a display of great power and was something to be respected, admired and feared.

Some Shadows caught sight of us unguarded and tried to rush forward. Chie and Yosuke didn't have weapons so they were in the most danger. Izanagi realised this and jumped in front of us, blocking the Shadows mid-attack and threw them off. He rushed forward and struck the Shadows several times, dodging some of their attacks before letting loose with a lightning strike, taking out the majority of them that were there.

The fight only lasted a minute, but it felt like five to me. As silence fell upon the battlefield, I looked up at Izanagi and smiled.

"Good work," I said to him before turning to the others.

"Wow!" Teddie yelled as he walked up to me. "You're amazing, Sensei! I never thought you could do something like that! I am one impressed bear."

"Me either," Yosuke whispered, still in shock it seemed over seeing that battle. "What exactly is that thing?" He pointed at Izanagi shakily. My face remained neutral as I answered.

"This is Izanagi. He's what called a Persona," I told the two of them. "And what I just fought are Shadows... My enemy."

"Your enemy...?" Chie asked, still in a state of shock. "What are you talking about?"

"It's difficult to explain," I replied. "I have a... history with these things." I was elaborate further but I found myself being interrupted by a series of voices, echoing all around us.

"_I wish Junes would go under..._"

"_It's all because of that store..._"

We all looked around but were unable to find the source of the voices. Yosuke looked unnerved by this, not that I could blame him.

"Wh-What...?" He let out before the voices spoke again.

"_I heard that Konishi-san's daughter is working there._"

"_Oh my... How could she, with her family's business suffering like it is...?_"

"_I heard their sales have gone downhill because of Junes._"

"S-Stop it..." Yosuke looked panicked at this point. Hearing all these accusations thrown in practically his direction didn't help matters at all. Chie and I looked at him, wondering if we should say anything, or rather, if we _could _say anything.

"_That poor father... to have his own daughter working for the enemy._"

"_What a troublesome child._"

"...Hey, Ted," Yosuke called out to Teddie. "You said this is reality for those that are here, right? So... does that mean that this was Senpai's reality when she wandered in here?"

"I... only know about what's over here," Teddie answered, giving no real explanation about what that actually meant. Yosuke turned to face the entrance.

"Fine..." he declared. "Whatever's going on here... We'll find out ourselves."

~ Book of Souls ~

We entered the liquor store. I had Izanagi follow close behind in case any Shadows get the bright idea of attacking us while we investigated. The inside of the store was dark. Many alcohol bottles lined the shelves and the place in general was a mess. We didn't get far before we heard another voice speak out.

"Dammit, not again..." Yosuke growled as the voice started to speak. It was a man, and he sounded angry.

"_Saki, how many times do I have to tell you?!_"

"I-Is this... Senpai's dad...?" Yosuke asked before the voice spoke again.

"_You know what the neighbours say about you, right?! Aren't you ashamed of yourself? You're the eldest daughter of a family who's owned this store for generations! Is it the money? Or did you meet some guy there? Just tell me why you have to work _there_, of all places!_"

"I... I can't believe this..." Yosuke said, looking down at the floor. "She seemed like she was having fun at work... She never said anything like this to me... You're telling me _this _was how Senpai really saw things?!"

He spotted something on a nearby table and runs over to it. Chie, Teddie and I followed him and watch as he picked up a scrap of a photo that was lying there.

"It's the photo we took the other day with the other part timers at Junes... Why is it cut up like this?"

I took a look and the scrap of the photo showed Saki smiling, with Yosuke standing right beside her.

"_I... never had the chance to say it..._" We all heard another voice speak. This voice, however, belonged to someone that was already dead.

"Is that... Senpai's voice?!" Yosuke asked, looking up toward the ceiling. We could only stand there and listen.

"_I always wanted to tell Hana-chan..._"

"Huh...? Me...?"

"_...that he was a real pain in the ass._"

Yosuke looked shocked at Saki's words, which were like a bullet straight to the heart. She had more to say, which I felt would only make things worse.

"_I was nice to him just because he was the store manager's son, that's all. But he takes it completely the wrong way and gets all enthusiastic... What a dip._"

"P-Pain in the ass...?"

"_Who cares about Junes, anyway? Because of that store, our business is ruined, my parents hate me, the neighbours talk behind my back... I wish everything would just disappear._"

"I-It's a lie... It can't be... Senpai's not like that!"

"It's *sniff* so sad... I feel so sorry for myself... Boo hoo..."

_...What...?_

That was Yosuke's voice that just spoke. But those words didn't come from the Yosuke that stood beside us. We turned to look and my worst fears were realised.

"Actually, _I'm_ the one who thinks everything's a pain in the ass. Hahaha..."

This was Yosuke we were looking at. He had Yosuke's voice, Yosuke's face, Yosuke's clothes, but his eyes... His eyes showed that he wasn't human. Bright yellow, they were, and I knew exactly what he was.

"Yosuke, calm down," I immediately told him, but my voice seemed to had fallen on deaf ears.

"Wh-What?! There are _two _Yosukes...?!" Chie couldn't quite believe what we were seeing, neither could Yosuke and Teddie. The Shadow walked closer to us.

"Who are you?!" Yosuke asked angrily. "I-I would never think that."

"Hahaha... Yeah, right. How long are you going to keep deluding yourself?" the Shadow Yosuke asked with a demented smile. "Screw the shopping district, and Junes too! You're sick of everything, especially living out in the sticks!"

"What're you saying...? That's not true, I—"

"You put on a good show of being carefree and happy-go-lucky because you're so terrified of being alone. The more the merrier, right? You've gotta be surrounded by people to block out the pain of isolation. And what's this about checking out this world for Saki-senpai's sake? HAH! I know the real reason you came snooping."

"S-Stop it!" It wasn't the best situation to find ourselves in. If I couldn't get through to him... Well, bad things would happen.

"Yosuke, you need to calm down—!"

"Hahahaha! Why so panicked? I thought I was just spouting bullshit! Or maybe... I _do_ know everything you're thinking! Why's that...? Because I _am_ you! You just came because it sounded like a good time! What else to there to do out in this shithole? A world inside the TV—now that's exciting! You didn't have a single other reason for coming here, did you?!"

"That's not true... Stop... Stop it..."

Shadow Yosuke's expression changed from a demented smirk to a malicious scowl.

"You're just trying to act like a big shot... And if all went well, hey, maybe you could even be a hero! And that Senpai you were so sweet on? Her death was the perfect excuse!"

"That's not true! What are you?! Who are you?!"

Shadow Yosuke chuckled darkly.

"I already told ya. I'm you... Your Shadow... There's nothing I don't know about you!"

_I can't get a word in! I have to stop this now!_

"That's eno—!"

"Screw that! I don't know you! You can't be me, you son of a bitch!"

It was too late. Now that he had said it, there was no stopping him.

"Hahahahahaha! That's right! Say it again!" Shadow Yosuke goaded Yosuke on, who staggered back in fear.

"You're not me... You're nothing like me!"

We all stared at the Shadow, waiting for his response. Though I already knew what it would be, and silently ordered Izanagi to cover Chie as best he could.

"...Heh. Yeah, that's right... I am me now. I'm not you anymore, see?"

I was prepared for this and gripped the Grimoire as tightly as I could. Izanagi got in front of all of us while the Shadow made its transformation. When we were able to see through the light it created, we all got a sight of its true form. His Shadow took the form of a frog with a whimsical body on top. His hands were gigantic, a scarf flew about and his eyes were shuriken. Appearances didn't matter in the grand scheme of things though; it's a Shadow through and through.

"I am a Shadow," Shadow Yosuke called out. "The true self. I'll crush everything that bores me, starting with you!" He was talking to me. He suddenly used a wind attack, which so happened to be Izanagi's weakness.

"Shit!" I watched as Izanagi slammed into the wall while I dodged out of the way. Yosuke, Chie and Teddie ran behind the desk. "Keep him off us!" I ordered the Persona as he got back onto his feet and jumped towards the Shadow.

I turned to look at the others who were visibly shaken by what was happened, Yosuke especially.

"Wh-What is that thing...?" Yosuke asked, sounding frightened.

"Like it said—a Shadow," I said calmly to him. I peeked over the table to see Izanagi dodging Shadow Yosuke's wind strikes. "Stay here. I'll take care of it." I ran to the battlefield which had transformed from the liquor store to some kind of arena.

"Narukami!"

"Sensei!"

I ignored the two and ran out to the Shadow, who laughed in my face.

"Hahaha! What an eyesore!" he yelled, using another wind spell that Izanagi and I dodged. "You think you can beat me? With that pathetic weapon?!"

"A weapon that's going to knock your ass right into next week!" I rebutted with a cocky smirk. "I've fought your kind before."

"...Hmph. In that case, I'll end this quickly. How long can you survive this?!" I stayed on guard as he built up an incredible amount of energy. The air shifted and the dust was blown about the room as the Shadow charged a Garu spell that was sure to hurt. I knew what was coming, and I didn't like it.

"Izanagi! Stop him!" Izanagi flew over and struck him once, twice, but that didn't seem to do anything. He jumped back and charged up a Zio spell, working overtime to catch up to its level.

_C'mon, this has gotta work...!_

He lets loose but the spell did absolutely nothing to the Shadow. I couldn't believe it.

_What?!_

Shadow Yosuke jumped and smashed into the ground, sending a shockwave that sent both Izanagi and myself crashing into a liquor cabinet. Many alcohol bottles came crashing down and breaking against the ground. A few of them broke against my back, it's contents spilling over me.

_Ugh... Great, that smell won't come out for ages._

I looked up at Izanagi who broke apart and transformed back into a card. The card disappeared back into the Animus; safe, but I wouldn't be able to use Izanagi again for a while.

_Dammit..._

I, relatively uninjured, looked up at the Shadow. He was laughing uproariously, taunting me.

"What are you going to do now?! Without that poor excuse of a Persona, you're weak! Useless!"

_...I don't have a choice. I have to use it._

"...I don't need a Persona to take you down," I said, getting up onto my feet.

"With what? You don't even have a weapon!"

"...Is that so?" I asked, smiling. "You truly are stupid. In that case, I'll just need to show you."

Quickly snatching up a bottle, I threw it at the nearby light that illuminated the arena. The light broke, leaving the entire are in darkness.

"Where'd she go?!"

"Sensei, I can't see you! Where are you?!"

"Narukami, where are you?!"

By the time the light came back, I was well out of the way and preparing to use one of the other weapons I had. I closed my eyes.

_Alright... Here goes nothing... __**Vis Vires, Scindo, Anima!**_

With those words spoken in my mind. I opened my eyes and the world in front of me changed. I could see many things. The many threads of this world, keeping it together. I could see those threads and, with my power, cut through them. Including the Shadows that were before me.

The Shadow spotted me and, judging from the way he shifted, knew what was coming.

"Stay back!"

He tried to strike me with his oversized hands but I dodged out of the way. From the corner of my eye, I saw a weapon hiding behind the counter. Dodging another strike which sent pieces of the ground flying around me, I ran towards the weapon and grabbed it.

Once I had that small knife in my hands, I was able to start fighting back. Seeing the weak points of structures and other objects, I can cut through them to completely destroy them. Which was what I did to the support pillars holding up the light fixtures. The entire thing came down with a thunderous crash, the noise drowning out the Shadow's screams as it landed on the Shadow. I had gotten safely out of the way.

The Shadow forced the object off of him and tried to attack me again out of blind rage. I kept calm and easily dodged. I saw the opening I needed: the Shadow's thread of life, waiting to be cut. He used a Garu skill which I was unprepared for. It struck me, sending me flying out of the store and onto my back. I quickly got up.

Some Shadows were there, probably lured by the fighting and the presence of a more powerful Shadow. They aimed to block my path, but I wasn't going to have any of it. I rushed forward, flipping the knife so I held it in a reverse grip and slashed through the Shadow in front of me.

It didn't get a chance to respond, let alone let out any sort of pained scream. It dissolved into a black mist, its existence denied—completely erased from this world. I looked at the other Shadows. I saw their threads and focused on them. I ran forward, my hand keeping a firm grip of the knife.

I cut through the Shadows as I ran and quickly made my way back inside the building. Shadow Yosuke was surprised to see that I had gotten back to it that quickly and started to panic. I ran towards it, dodging the Garu spells thrown at me. He hesitated for a brief moment as he saw me closer than he probably thought I would get.

That hesitation lasted but a mere second, but it was all I needed. Aiming directly for the weak point, I drove the knife as deep as I could into his body before I pulled it out and slashed right at the thread. I severed it completely.

"Damn you to hell!"

The Shadow disappeared while I staggered back away from it. The battle was over. I had won. Silence fell over the area for a while, the others having no clue what they could possibly say. I breathed in and out deeply, taking greedy gulps of air. That was my first major fight in over three years. It was understandable that I would be a _little _exhausted.

_...Dammit... I used too much..._

I collapsed onto my knees.

"Sensei!" I heard Teddie shout as footsteps ran towards me. "Are you okay, Sensei?!"

I didn't say a word, but I did lift my head to look. I saw that the Shadow had returned to its human form. Unlike the Shadows I fought outside—powerful Shadows are only defeated when either the human it spawned from accepts their flaws and admits that it's a part of them, or the human is killed—by the Shadow or otherwise.

The others saw this as well. Yosuke in particular looked really scared of it.

"You... You're... not me..." Yosuke said, still denying this fundamental truth.

"That thing came from you, Yosuke..." Teddie told him. "You have to admit it... or it'll go berserk again."

"Everyone's the same inside, Yosuke," I said, out of energy and out of breath. I tried to stand up but my body just couldn't take it. Yosuke realised this and raised a hand in front of me, telling me that it was alright. He walked to the Shadow, whose face showed no malice or hatred.

"...Dammit... It hurts to face yourself," he said before looking his Shadow in the eye. "I knew it wasn't lying... But I was so ashamed, I didn't want to admit it... The truth is, you're me... And I'm you... When you get down to it, all of this is me."

His Shadow gave him the briefest of smiles and nodded before disappearing. A figure in front of him, floating in the air—though I couldn't see him properly before it transformed into a card.

_That's... his Persona..._

Yosuke lets it float in his hands before it disappeared as well. He had overcome himself and obtained the façade that would let him face the evils of the world: a Persona. I could feel my vision blur and darken before I collapsed; the sound of my last breathy gasp before I fell unconscious reaching their ears. The last thing I heard before my body shut down was their worried yells.

"Narukami!"

* * *

~ _**Author's Note**_~

Did someone order a fight scene? You may have noticed that I changed the order of events around compared to the game, but I have a good reason for it.

In case you're unfamiliar with what I like to do, here's a brief rundown. I like to suggest songs to use as the story's soundtrack. You can kinda say it's like a visual novel, just without the visual part—or the choices.

The first track for this particular fic can be found under the soundtracks section. The track is, very fittingly, Track 1, and plays when Yuka reveals her special ability. Anyway, I hope you enjoyed this chapter and I hope to see you for the next one.


	6. Chapter V

~ _**Chapter V: What She Saw **_~

_...Wh... What happened...?_

My eyes slowly opened to a bright light, and my nose smelt the stench of alcohol. I wondered where I was and what happened to me. That's when I remembered the battle that occurred. My eyes widened as I got up in a panic.

"Oh, Sensei's awake!" I heard Teddie call out, which made me stop and look around. I was back at the TV lot like place.

_The others must have brought me back here..._

Remembering the battle more clearly, I realised that I had to use that ability of mine. I sighed, realising that I was going to have to explain exactly what I did.

"Narukami, you alright?" Yosuke asked, still wearing the glasses Teddie gave him. I looked around and saw Chie sitting down near me. I nodded my head.

"...Yeah, I'm okay now," I told him and attempted to stand up but I ended up falling back down. I was still exhausted.

"Take it easy," Chie said, sounding worried. "You collapsed after you killed that Shadow thing. We were worried that you wouldn't wake up."

"Goodness, Sensei, you are full of surprises!" Teddie yelled. "I have never seen something like that before!"

"You and me both, Ted..." Yosuke shook his head. "What exactly did you do, Narukami?"

_Well, expected that question._

"...It's an ability my family has," I started to explain. "I can see the threads of life that are strewn throughout the world, and if I have a sharp object—like a knife or a sword—I can cut through it, destroying it completely. My mother used to have this ability but she lost it after the war."

"War? What war?" Yosuke asked curiously.

"That's for me to know," I said quickly and harshly. "I'll tell you about it if, and only if, it becomes important."

That shot down that line of conversation. I tried to stand up again, but Chie had to help me up.

"Hey, Teddie. You said that this world is reality for those who enter, right?" Yosuke asked. "So the weird shopping district we saw, that was... Did that place appear because of Saki? I guess what I'm asking is... Do these places form because of the people who wonder in here?"

"I don't know. It's never happened before," Teddie said. "But that's probably where that Saki girl was when the Shadows attacked her."

"Wait, are you saying that this world kills them?" I asked, piecing together what he's saying.

"The fog does lift here sometimes, and the Shadows get really violent. I always get scared; I have to hide when it happens," Teddie explained for us. "I sensed people here twice before. But both of them disappeared when the fog lifted..."

"So let me get this straight..." Yosuke pushed up his glasses. "Senpai and, I'm guessing, that Yamano lady were thrown in here. Since they couldn't get out, they wandered off. After a while, that Shadow thing came out of them, then they go berserk and attack them like it tried to attack me. Does that sound about right?"

"Yeah, I'm pretty sure." Teddie nodded his head. "You were lucky you weren't here when the fog lifted, it would have been huge trouble for you. Sensei was also here to help you, so you were lucky for that as well."

"Dammit!" Yosuke yelled. "Senpai and that announcer... They were all alone... They had no-one to help them!"

"Yosuke..." Teddie said, his eyes showing sadness before they perked up. "They disappeared when the fog lifted, but they were safe until then. No Shadows attacked them. They attacked us though..."

"That's because of me," I told them. "They recognised me as a threat." I turned to look at Yosuke. "Since you have a Persona now, they'll be coming after you as well."

"It might be dangerous," Teddie said. "But with both your strengths, we might be able to fight them. We might be able to save people!"

"Are you saying, if anyone else gets thrown in here, we can save them before they disappear?!" Yosuke asked hurriedly. "Like how you guys saved me?!"

"...I'm not so sure, but it's worth a try," I said slowly.

_I'm not having any more deaths on my conscience..._

"We need to catch the one who's throwing people in here and make him stop," Yosuke told us. "Though... I'm worried about Satonaka. She's a good fighter but I'm not sure she can fight those Shadow things."

"Oh on, if you think I'm staying out of this, you have another thing coming!" Chie yelled. "How can I go on living my days knowing that this is happening and I'm doing anything about it?!"

"U-Um... Can I ask something too?" Teddie spoke up and we gave him our attention. "If Shadows are born from humans, what was Teddie born from?"

"You don't even know where you came from? How should we know?" Yosuke asked, which made Teddie frown.

"I know some things. Mostly about this world... But I don't know anything about myself. To be honest, I never thought about it until now..."

_No wonder we couldn't get a straight answer out of him..._

"Will you guys... come back here...?"

"We just said that we're going after the Shadows," I told him, managing to stand up. "We're going to end up coming back here sooner or later." I tried to take a step forward and ended up stumbling.

"We should get Narukami out of here," Yosuke said, looking around. "This place isn't safe in her condition."

"I'm fine!" I objected. "I'm just... a little exhausted..."

"Yeah, I bet," he fired back sarcastically. "That ability of yours must have taken a lot out of you..."

"I don't know what you're talking about."

"Whatever you say." He waved his hand and then looked around again. "Uh... how exactly are we supposed to get out of here?"

"Oh!" Teddie walked around us. "One express ticket back to your world, coming right up!" He stomped his foot a few times and a stack of TV's appeared in front of us. We all walked over, a little confused.

"You'll need to come in at the same place every time if you want to meet up with me," Teddie explained. I took it to mean the TV in Junes. "Sure, you can enter through another TV, but there's no guarantee that I'll find you. And then you'd be dooooomed..."

"Alright." Yosuke nodded before looking at the stacked TV's. "Okay... Need to make sure there aren't any customers or employees around..."

"Okay, alright! Go go go go go go! Squiiish!" Teddie said, pushing us towards the TVs.

"Ah, hey! Watch where those hands are touching!" Chie yelled.

"Hey, cut it out, bear—Whoa!" Yosuke yelled before we fell into the TVs.

~ Book of Souls ~

When I was able to see again, we were back in the electronics department of Junes. The familiar jingle that played through the speakers the best thing in the world to me at that moment.

"Chie, can you help Narukami back to her house?" Yosuke asked Chie, who nodded. "I'm completely wiped out... I'm gonna head home, soak in the shower for a while and get some rest... I think... I'm gonna sleep well tonight." He shook his head and gave us his first real smile since the announcement of Saki's death. "Hehe... Well, see you two tomorrow." With that, he walked off.

Chie helped me walk through the streets of Inaba towards my uncle's house. The streets were mostly empty, being the middle of evening after all. Students were probably either doing homework or other stuff.

"...What you did back there was incredible," Chie said with awe. I wondered what she could have meant but I quickly realised she was talking about the Demon's Eyes. That isn't the actual name of the ability. It was something my mother came up with when she possessed the ability. I had no clue what the true name of it was at the time.

"It's nothing special," I brushed off. "I used it because I had no other choice."

"But still..."

We were walking along the road beside the riverbank when Chie turned her head to look to her left. She gasped which drew my attention to where she was looking. A familiar looking black haired girl was sitting on a bench.

"Yukiko!" Chie called out, helping me walk over to where she was.

"Chie!" Yukiko said back, then she looked at me. "Narukami! Are you alright?!" she asked, sounding worried.

"I'm fine," I told her. "I'm just a little exhausted, that's all."

"Well... If that's all it is, then I'm glad you're alright." She nodded. Chie and I took a set opposite her. "Are you surprised to see me dressed this way?" she asked me. She was wearing a kimono instead of her school uniform. "My parents sent me out on an errand... Um... Are you getting used to your new town and school?" she asked me awkwardly.

"If I have to be completely honest... I like this place," I responded. "It's quiet, peaceful... Something like that is very rare for me so I'm glad to be here."

_Though with recent events... How long will that peace last?_

"Really...?" Yukiko smiled. I could see why people think so highly of her; that smile of hers was beautiful. "But... It must be difficult, moving to a place you know nothing about."

"I'm used to it."

"I've never been out of Inaba, so I wouldn't know what transferring to a new school is like."

"I've only done it a few times, the first time was three years ago," I told her, without giving details as to why. She didn't pry.

"Oh! Are you getting along with Chie?" She nodded her head towards said Chie. "I mean, I always leave early, so... Umm..."

_Hmm, I wonder what she seems so nervous about?_

"Yeah, I would say that we're getting along," I responded, trying to sound cheerful.

"That's good." Yukiko seemed relieved to hear me say that. "Chie's really supportive, you know. It's always her that gives me the little push I need."

"C'mon, Yukiko! There's no need to praise me like that," Chie said bashfully, rubbing the back of her neck. Yukiko's eyes suddenly widened a little.

"Oh, I should probably get going. I need to make tomorrow's arrangements with the head chef. Our inn can't function without me right now." Yukiko stood up and began to walk off. "I hope you're feeling 100% by tomorrow, Narukami."

We waited until she was out of sight before we got up and continued our journey to my uncle's house. About fifteen minutes later, we finally made it back. I leaned against the door for support.

"Thanks for helping me get here," I said to Chie, who smiled up at me.

"Don't mention it. It's the least I can do, to thank you for saving our lives back there. Oh!" She quickly brought out a bag that she carried—my bag—and opened it up. She pulled out the Grimoire Animus and showed it to me. "Here! I know it's yours, but I wouldn't think you would have been able to carry it in your state."

_How could I forget about that?_

I took the bag off her hands and silently nodded. My way of saying thanks to her. I watched Chie as she ran off to the west, in the direction of her house I would take it. Turning back to face the door, I slid it open.

~ Book of Souls ~

Entering the Dojima Residence, I took notice of the fact that my uncle was there that night. Probably had some off time; maybe that Adachi person was covering for him. I didn't know all the details, but regardless, I spoke up.

"Hi, uncle," I said tiredly, taking a seat opposite Nanako. Dojima was a trained detective, so he was able to pick up on my fatigue very easily. Then again, a child would have been able to spot someone that tired.

"...Hey, Nanako, do you mind if I speak to your cousin alone for five minutes?" he asked his daughter, who nodded and walked upstairs. Dojima grabbed the remote to the TV and turned it to the news which was reporting on Saki's death.

"Our next story is an update in our ongoing report on the bizarre murders occurring in Inaba. At around 7 AM, local high school student Saki Konishi was found dead in Inaba's residential area.

Since the body was positioned similarly to the last victim, and since Ms. Konishi was the one who discovered the body, the Police are proceeding under the assumption that this may be a serial murder case related to the death of Mayumi Yamano. The coroner's report has established Ms. Konishi's time of death at around 1 AM last night."

_An hour after seeing the Midnight Channel then..._

"The body went unnoticed until this morning as a result of the heavy fog blanketing the area."

Dojima sighed and stood up.

"You look exhausted," he pointed out. "Do you want a cup of coffee?"

"...Sure," I told him. "Cream and two sugars, please."

"Heh, you're just like Nanako. That's how she takes her coffee."

I found the idea of six-year-old little Nanako drinking coffee to be a little bit funny, if I had to be honest. I watched as Dojima prepared two cups and sat them down on the table. He took a seat to my left and, for a while, there wasn't much in the way of conversation. Until he started to speak about the murder cases.

"It's a strange state of affairs," he told me. "Two bodies; one hanging from an antenna, the other from a telephone pole. Both gave no clear indication of any bodily damage. We can't even tell if this is an accident or a homicide. No evidence to go off of either. If it is a serial murder case, then the culprit has to someone in Inaba... That's the conclusion a normal police officer would make, but... Our family is anything but normal."

"...Uncle, do you remember what happened seventeen years ago?" I asked him, taking a sip out of my cup. He nodded his head.

"Yeah... That damn war." He took a drink out of his own cup. "Let Roppongi in ruins, and yet that battle has fallen to the annuals of history. Not many know about it, or what actually happened in the war itself... You used that ability of yours, didn't you?"

"What gave it away?" I wasn't exactly shocked that he knew about it, so I spoke with an even tone.

"There are tell-tale signs," he explained. "There's an air around you that doesn't seem normal; you're exhausted, and you're also carrying that book." He pointed out the bag I had set down beside me. The book was slightly visible, since I didn't zip it up properly. "You wouldn't be carrying that around with you unless you were expecting trouble. Your mother was the same way."

_Well... He's right about that._

"...It's coming, isn't it?" he asked me, his voice calm and his eyes unsure.

"I don't know. It's been seventeen years... Mother's the only one who knows exactly what was in that temple. And she hasn't said a word about it since what happened in Iwatodai." I looked out the glass door. "I don't know what's going on in this town, but something big is going to happen."

Our conversation was interrupted by the news once again—this time, it was a special on the Amagi Inn.

"Amagi Inn, located upstream of Samegawa River, is the town's oldest historical landmark. Vacationers are known to travel surprising distances in order to visit its open-air, radium rich hot springs. After the incident with Ms. Yamano, the manager has stepped aside, leaving her daughter to fill her shoes."

_Yukiko? So that's what she meant by the inn not being able to function without her._

"In other words, she's a manager that's still in high school. Now that has a nice ring to it... Let's see if we can get an interview with her. Excuse me!" The camera spun and stopped when it caught sight of Yukiko, who was still wearing her kimono. The reporter ran up to her.

"Hmm...? Um... Are you speaking to me?" Yukiko asked, sounding uncomfortable.

"We've heard you're the new manager. Is it true you're still in high school?"

"Oh, well, I'm only filling in temporarily..."

"Someday though... That aside, wow! You're looking gorgeous in that kimono. You must have a lot of male visitors."

"Huh? No, umm..."

The reporters ramblings continued to get further and further off-topic. Dojima and I decided to finish our conversation.

"...You think it's _them _that's causing the murders?" Dojima asked. I knew full well what he was talking about and nodded.

"I had a run-in with them today," I told him. "The events leading up to that were as strange as the murders themselves. You heard of the Midnight Channel?"

"That rumour floating about? Yeah, I know of it. I thought it was just a childish urban legend... You think otherwise?"

"Yeah, it's not just an interesting rumour. When you stare at a TV alone, midnight on a rainy night, you might see someone on the screen. That person will die if we don't do something... I'm sorry to say this, but the police might not be able to do much."

"...I know." Dojima let out a sigh. "And that's what irritates me the most... I think you're more capable of fighting those things than I am. I'll do what I can on my side to catch this perp... Be careful."

He finished his drink and went upstairs, leaving me to my thoughts. As I watched the steam rise from the still warm mug, I thought about what we discussed. Specifically, the war that my mother fought in all those years ago.

_...What exactly did you see that day, mother...?_


	7. Chapter VI

~ _**Chapter VI: Spark of Friendship **_~

_...Okay, where am I now? Oh, back in the Velvet Room again._

I opened my eyes and looked up at the old man sitting behind the desk; Igor, and the woman sitting beside him, Margaret.

"Welcome," Igor said, polite sounding as always. "Do not be alarmed. You are fast asleep in the real world. I have summoned you within your dreams."

"This is a space that only those who have, in one way or another, entered into a contract may enter," Margaret explained to me. "You're a unique case, however. Your journey is one that you won't be able to tackle alone. So even though you are not a conventional Persona wielder, we have decided to lend our services to you."

"Hold onto this..." Igor waved his hand, and I felt something heavy dropped into my hands. Looking down, I saw that it was a key.

_A key to this room, perhaps?_

"From this night forth, you are a guest of the Velvet Room," Igor said to me, that creepy smile still on his face. "Your destiny will require that you hone your power, and for that you will inevitably require our help. Though your situation... differs from the previous guest."

_Previous guest...? I wonder who that is?_

"There is but one price for this assistance." Igor held up a finger. "That you assume responsibility for the choices you make."

"...I understand," I eventually said.

"Very well." Igor nodded his head. "Your power is unlike any I have seen. The Demon's Eyes. The power to sever the threads of life from any being or object."

"How do you know about that, exactly?" I wasn't that surprised to learn about that, to tell the truth. That place was strange enough already, so it didn't surprise me in the least that they knew about my power.

"The previous guest we spoke of mentioned it to us," Igor explained. "Normally, we would assist guests by fusing Personas together to create new ones, but, as Margaret said, your situation is unique. Your battle is not just with the Shadows."

"What do you mean by that?"

"You'll come to learn the meaning of my words soon enough."

_...I __**hate**_ _it whenever people say that._

"Learn to appreciate the bonds you create on your journey," Margaret said, very cryptic like—a common theme of the Velvet Room residents it seemed. "At times, they will help light the way to the truth you're searching for... And they might lead you to you own salvation."

They didn't elaborate further as I felt my eyes close. The Velvet Room disappeared and I fell back in to the world of sleep.

~ Book of Souls ~

_Those guys are really weird. What did they mean by my salvation? And who's this previous guest that told them about... It couldn't be..._

I shook my head, forcing any and all memories of that time out of my mind. I walked down the riverbank, feeling better than I was the day before. Using that ability of mine takes a huge toll on the body, especially since I hadn't had to use it since three years ago. Still, it got the job done, so I wasn't going to complain.

I heard a bike bell rang and I turned around to see Yosuke riding his bike. He came to a stop in front of me.

"Yo," he said with a smile. "You feeling okay? That battle took a lot out of you."

"Still a little drained, but other than that, I'm fine." I nodded my head. "I haven't done that in a long time."

"...Hey, you think this will happen again?" Yosuke asked, his smile disappearing. "Someone being thrown into the TV?"

"No doubt." I nodded. "If it is a serial murder case, I doubt the culprit will stop at just those two."

"We have to solve this case, no matter what!" Yosuke announced, which made my eyes widen a little with shock. "The police can't do anything. Who would believe that the murderer kills people by throwing them in the TV?"

"...One person does," I whispered. "And he knows that they can't do anything about it. He left it up to me... Well, us."

"You know, I tried sticking my hand in the TV the same you did last night, and it actually worked. I guess it's because I got that power. Persona, wasn't it?" Yosuke asked. "Could it be that we got this gift specifically to solve this case? Then again, you had this power for a long time now. At least, I think you have."

A smile appeared on Yosuke's face again.

"I feel like, as long as you're with me, I can find the culprit and crack this case." Yosuke stretched his hand out to me. "...Well, I'll be counting on you."

I stared at the hand for a few seconds before I reached out and took a hold of it.

"I'll be counting on you too," I said, a hint of a smile on my features. Even though what happened was a huge shock to him, Yosuke was trying to move on past that.

_He isn't such a bad guy after all._

~ Book of Souls ~

We made it to school just before the rain picked up. Good thing too, I didn't particularly liked getting soaked to the bone. We got to class and were just discussing random stuff about the lessons we were going to have when the door slid open in hurry. We both turned our attentions to it and saw Chie rush in. She looked around and saw us. She ran over to us.

"Satonaka..." Yosuke said awkwardly. "Um... About the other day... Sorry for making you worry like that."

Chie shook her head.

"Never mind about that. Is Yukiko still not here?" Chie asked in a panic. Yosuke and I looked at each other before looking back at Chie.

"Yukiko-san? Uh... No. At least, I haven't seen her today," Yosuke said. Chie quickly brought out her phone.

"Oh man... I emailed her last night because I was worried, but she hasn't responded. I-I—"

"Calm down, we get the picture," Yosuke said calmly. "Give her another call."

"I was just about to do that!" She typed in a number frantically and held it up to her ear. "C'mon, pick up...! No good, it went to voicemail."

"Are you serious?" Yosuke was starting to become worried. And I could understand why. "So then, do you think she's—"

"Sh-Shut up! Something must've come up, like an errand or something... Oh, she might be helping at the inn. I'll give them a call!" She typed in another number and held the phone to her ear.

_She's really worried about Yukiko. Just how close are those two?_

I watched Chie's reaction change from worry to relief as someone picked up.

"Is this Yukiko?! Thank god, she's there!" Chie sighed and continued to speak to Yukiko. "Uh huh... Uh huh... Ah, uh. Nah, it was nothing, haha. I'll email you again later, alright? Cool, see you." She hung up. "She was over at the inn. She had some big group reservation to take care of. She'll be there tomorrow as well."

"That's good." Yosuke nodded. "One crisis averted." He looked down at me. "Still, we should check the Midnight Channel tonight, just to be safe."

"Agreed." A sudden wave of nausea hit me and I had to rub my head.

"Are you alright?" Chie asked worriedly. I gave her a weak smile.

"I'm fine. Just a little drained, is all," I explained. "I'll be fine as long as I don't put too much pressure on myself."

"Actually, I have a better idea," Yosuke said. "Let's go to the mall after school and talk to Teddie. See if anything weird has happened since yesterday."

~ Book of Souls ~

We ended up at the mall after school, per Yosuke's suggestion, and walked to the electronics section. We stood in front of the TV that acted as the portal to that other world.

"Alright, we need to know what's going on inside," Yosuke told us and then looked around. I had noticed that there were a lot of customers going about. There was a huge sale going on, so it wasn't surprising in the least. "Too many customers though; I forgot that there was a sale..."

Yosuke put his finger on his chin, thinking about our next move, before he walked over to the TV and stood still. He motioned me over and told me to stand in front of him.

"Put your hand inside and call him over. I bet he's wandering around the entrance anyway." He turned to look at Chie. "Hey, Chie, stand here and make a wall with me."

"A wall...?" Chie looked confused, but didn't question why. She walked over to my right. With those two standing guard and blocking off all sight of my position, I placed my hand in the TV nad tried beckoning Teddie over.

_I'm not even sure if this will work, I mean, what are the odds that—?_

*_**CRUNCH!**_*

_What the—?! Did he just—?!_

I pulled my hand back and saw that I had teeth marks embedded into my skin.

_He bit me!_

"What's wrong?!" Yosuke asked loudly, inadvertently drawing attention to us.

"Shh! Not so loud, idiot!" Chie reprimanded him, while the other shoppers went back to their business. She examined the marks and winced.

"Holy crap, are those teeth marks?!" Chie whisper shouted. "Are you alright?!"

With the straightest face I could muster and the most deadpan tone that I could create, I responded as thus:

"I'm going to cry."

"Mmmmmm no you're not."

_Attack is ineffective. Mission status: Aborted._

Chie looked at the TV with a glare.

"Hey, you! We know you're in there!"

Teddie's voice eventually responded, his voice slightly muffled.

"Ohh, ohh! Is this a game?"

"No, it isn't a game!" Yosuke said. "Can you sense anyone in there right now?"

"Who's anyone? I'm a lonely little bear like always. This land feels so... _bear_-ren."

_...Must resist..._

"So there's no-one in there, you're sure about that?" I asked.

"I'm sure, I'm sure! My nose is running as good as ever!"

We all looked at each other, the same thought running through our heads.

"I'm going to go warn Yukiko," Chie said.

"Good call," Yosuke said approvingly and with a nod of his head. "We'll check out the Midnight Channel tonight. Never know when another victim will appear."

"Since she'll be busy this weekend helping out at the inn, I doubt she'd go anywhere alone, but..."

"Better safe than sorry." I nodded my head. "You'll walk with her to school on Monday, right?"

Chie nodded her head. I turned to look at Yosuke, who was thinking about something.

"What's your cell number?" Yosuke asked. "I'll call you when I watch it tonight." He brought out his cell phone and I did so as well. We exchanged numbers and then we went on our way.

_Well... That went well, other than Teddie biting me... Gonna have to punch him the next time I see him._

~ Book of Souls ~

It was raining that night. It was almost midnight. As long as the conditions were met, I could view the Midnight Channel as much as I wanted. A useful thing indeed. I sat on the couch, trying to pass the time until finally it was ten seconds before midnight.

_Alright, moment of truth._

I watched the hands slowly tick until the clock truck twelve. The TV lit up, as expected, but instead of the static that normally accompanied it, it was a clear image. An image of a castle's entrance to be exact. That wasn't the only strange part of it, believe it or not. Who would happen to be there and holding a microphone? Yukiko Amagi. Wearing some pretty... unique clothing.

_...What is with that dress?_

This Yukiko was wearing a pink dress. Her shoulders were exposed but that was really all I could see. The camera angle making it difficult to see anything else.

"Good evening!" Yukiko yelled cheerfully. "Tonight, Princess Yukiko has a big surprise! I'm going to go score myself a hot stud!"

_Hot... stud...?_

"Welcome to "Not A Dream, Not A Hoax—Princess Yukiko's Hunt For Her Prince Charming"! And I came prepared!" Her hand reached down and patted the area where her... um, I think she said it best. "I've got my lacy unmentionables on, and I'm stacked from top to bottom."

She emphasised her ample bosom—which I tried my best not to stare at—as she finished her sentence before the camera focused on her face again.

"I'm out to catch a whole harem and the best of the lot are going to be all mine! Well, here I go!"

She ran off into the dull brown castle, the colours contrasting heavily with the bright pink of her dress. The—I guess you can call it—show ended there and the TV switched itself off. It didn't take long for Yosuke to call.

"_H-Hey, did you see that?_"

"...I wish I'd taped it."

"_Hey, get serious here!_"

"Sorry, sorry."

"_That was Yukiko-san for sure! It looked like her... She even said her name!_"

"More than likely that was her Shadow speaking." I sat back down on the couch. "She looked like she was on some low-budget TV show. I wonder if it's always going to be like this...? Have you contacted Chie yet?"

"_No, but that's a good idea,_" Yosuke said. "_We could get her to contact Yukiko-san. Tomorrow's Sunday, so let's meet at Junes first thing in the morning!_"

"Got it." I ended the call with the promise to meet up with Yosuke at Junes that morning. I decided to go to sleep early that night, to have the energy I need to fight if I needed to. Letting myself fall onto the futon, I couldn't help but raise my head to look at the TV one more time.

_...Maybe I should have taped it._


	8. Chapter VII

~ _**Chapter VII: Castle of Dreams (I) **_~

Waking up that Sunday, I knew that I needed to get to Junes as quickly as I could. Not because I was running late or anything—in fact, I had plenty of time—but because I knew I wouldn't be able to sit still unless I was doing _something_. I got dressed in some clothes that weren't going to get in my way as I was moving about, but were also not too tight to the point of it hurting me.

A light pink top and blue jeans was what I chose. Most people would have said that it was unlike me to have such colours. I walked downstairs to find Nanako watching TV, and Dojima reading a newspaper at the kitchen table. I decided to have some toast and went into the kitchen portion of the ground floor.

The area was quiet. The only sounds that were audible to me were the TV—which was showing the news—and the birds outside. They chirp away without a care. It was a stark difference, the countryside and the city. In the city, the smell of petrol, big buildings and other assorted oddities of city life permeated the air. It made it difficult to breathe at times, but I had gotten used to it.

The town of Inaba though was small and homely. The air was clean, the sounds of nature could be clearly heard and it was quiet. It was a town that I had hoped to spend the year in in peace. That peace was deftly shattered by the appearance of beings I had wanted to never darken my presence again.

As I buttered the toast, I heard Dojima lift up a cup from the table—his morning cup of coffee, I presumed—and get up from his seat. He walked over beside me and started to wash the cup in the sink. I noticed that he had stepped purposefully so that we were both out of earshot of Nanako—

"Yukiko Amagi has gone missing."

—so he could drop this bombshell on me. I had suspected as much, but I didn't think that the police would have picked up on it that quickly. Then again, my uncle knew what to look for. So it stood to reason that he would have been able to spot anything out of the ordinary. I didn't react too strongly to the news. Nanako was still in the house after all.

"It was reported to the station last night. She was at the Amagi Inn until at least 7 PM. After that, we have no clue where she was or what she was doing."

"...I saw her on the Midnight Channel last night," I told him, keeping my voice at the same volume he was. "I think we both know where she is."

"You're going there today?" he asked. I nodded my head.

"Yeah. We can't leave her in there for too long."

"Do you have a way to defend yourself?"

"I have Grimoire Animus, but a knife or sword would be helpful. That book can be too slow at times."

Dojima closed his eyes in thought for a second before nodding his head.

"Go to Daidara's Metalworks and talk to the owner. He'll be able to help you out."

"Is he a friend of yours?" I asked him curiously.

"I worked with him in a case in the past. Just tell him that you're my niece, he'll cut you a good deal. You may want to try asking him about it sometime. He happens to know quite a bit about the more... unnatural aspects of our world."

"...What is that supposed to mean?" I asked. I just had to. Even though I knew our family was deeply connected to the world of magic, I only knew that my mother and father were actively involved. When I asked about Dojima, my mother only said that her brother distanced himself from that world.

"Your mother isn't the only one that has had dealings with the world of magic. Is there anyone else going with you?"

"Yeah, two other people will be with me."

"That's good... If I find out anything, I'll let you know. Be careful in there."

"I will."

Dojima turned to look at Nanako.

"Nanako. I'll be heading down to the station for a while," he said. "Can you watch over the house until I get back?"

Nanako nodded and let out a hum. Taking that as a yes, Dojima grabbed his coat from the back of the seat he was sitting on and left the house. I sat down at the table and ate my toast. I would have to leave soon as well, but the thought of leaving Nanako all alone didn't sit well with me.

"Will you be going out as well?" she asked me. She had stood up, walked over and sat in the seat opposite me. I stayed silent. I didn't want to lie to her, but I also didn't want to disappoint her. Seeing the reason why I stayed silent, Nanako smiled reassuringly. "I can look after myself. So don't worry. I'll be here when you get back."

"...Okay," I eventually said. I reached out and messed with her hair, a soft smile on my face. Something about kids always puts me in a good mood. I don't expect to have any of my own, considering my... preferences. Regardless, I smiled whenever they're happy.

Finishing off my breakfast, I exited the Dojima household and made my way down the quiet streets. I realised that I needed to tell Yosuke that I would be a little late, so I pulled out my phone.

After a few rings, he picked up.

"Yo, Narukami!" he said. "I was just thinking of calling you. Are you on your way?"

"Yes," I said, nodding my head even though he couldn't see me. "I'll be a little late though. I'm heading to Daidara's Metalworks to pick up something."

"Weapons?" he asked. "No need for that. I found a few swords in my dad's closet. They're not real, but they'll come in handy I think."

Though any form of weapon would have been helpful in the fight against the Shadows, I was more used to something real. What he had wouldn't be enough.

"I need something a little _sharper_," I told him as I walked round the corner. "And don't tell me you have those swords with you right _now_?" I asked with a chiding tone. One that he picked up on.

"Of course!" he said a little defensively. "How else are we gonna get them in the TV world?"

"Put those away before you get yourself arrested," I said. "The last thing we need is for you to end up in jail and Chie and I needing to bail you out. Yukiko is definitely in the TV world—my uncle confirmed it with me before I left."

"Your uncle?" he asked. I heard a few noises in the background. I could only assume that he was getting rid of the fake swords he had with him. "Satonaka said that he's a detective. Does he know about the TV world?"

"He does, but he also knows that the police won't be able to help... My family comes from an entirely different world to theirs. We know that they won't believe us if we tell them what's really happening."

"...I see." I could almost see him nodding his head on the other side of the phone in my mind. "I'll tell Satonaka what you said when she gets here. You go and do what you do, and get here ASAP."

"I will."

I disconnected the call and sighed. It was another cloudy day. My choice of clothes didn't accurately reflect what I should have worn but I knew that once I get in the TV world and start running around, the lack of warm clothing won't be a factor.

I took a bus from near the Dojima house to the shopping district. From there, I followed the signs until I found the store I was looking for: Daidara's Metalworks. It was a warm store—small, compact, with a very intimate atmosphere. The sound of a hammer hitting steel rang out as I looked around. Various swords, morning stars and other assorted weapons were strewn about.

There was even a full set of armour on display. The thought crossed my mind to get it—the mental image of me walking down the street in full shogun armour too amusing. I shook my head before I let that temptation go any further.

The man at the work station noticed my presence. He tilted his head to look up at me. He was an old man, with short orange auburn hair, with dark orange eyes to match. He was almost completely bald with the exception of sideburns that was attached to his moustache. He also had a large X-shaped scar on his face.

His clothes fitted his profession. A thick white towel that was tied into a bow on his head, a white shirt with a brown obi and white pants.

"Heh. You're a new face around these parts," he told me with a gruff voice. "You just moved here?"

I nodded my head.

"Yeah. My name's Yuka Narukami," I introduced myself to him. "My uncle is Ryotaro Dojima. He told me that you know him."

His eyes briefly lit up in recognition.

"Dojima? You're Dojima's niece?" he asked. I nodded once again. "In that case, you're welcome here anytime. I'm Master Daidara. Just call me Daidara."

"Alright then, I will," I told him. "My uncle said you'd be able to help me with something I'm doing... Something dangerous."

"Dangerous?" he asked. He stopped what he was doing and gave me his full attention. "...What do you need?"

_Wait, he's not going to ask what it is I'm doing?_

I wondered briefly if this is what my uncle was talking about. I pushed it to the back of my mind, considered myself fortunate that he didn't pry and kept quiet about it.

"Well... I need something sharp, small and easy to carry," I said, listing out the specifics. "A knife, preferably. Something I can hide in this bag." I showed him the bag I was carrying on my back.

Daidara nodded his head before stepping to the back of the shop. After a minute, he came out with something in hand. A knife with a brown handle that came in a similar brown sheath. He handed it to me with no hesitation.

"Something simple, to get you started. If you happen to find materials—steel, leather, the like—bring them to me and I can make better weapons for you."

I nodded and placed the weapon in my bag that held Grimoire Animus.

"How much do I owe you?"

"That one's for free," he told me. "I owe your uncle. The next one's gonna cost you though, so keep that in mind."

"I will... Thank you very much."

"Don't mention it. Say hi to Dojima for me."

I nodded before leaving the store. As I stepped out onto the grey street, I took notice of what was around me. The shopping district was quiet. There weren't many people around and the grey clouds made the place almost eerie. Chie did say that since Junes opened up, the shopping district was losing customers. Not helping things was the massive stink caused by the murders of Mayumi Yamano and Saki Konishi.

It wasn't that surprising to see nobody around. I looked down the street at the petrol station that was nearby. I was reminded of what the station attendant told me the day I arrived.

"_You can't save her."_

I wondered if this was what he was talking about. If it was a warning about the murders and how much did that person truly know. And for that matter, why he spoke like he knew me. I knew that thinking about it too deeply would only complicate matters, and that I couldn't afford to think on it at that moment.

_...I can't waste any more time here._

I started walking in the direction of Junes. I looked around. I saw a tofu shop nearby called _'Marukyu Tofu'_, a textile shop named _'Tatsumi Textiles'_ and a shrine that was long abandoned. These buildings were what caught my eye as I walked, but my sight lingered on the shrine.

I stopped and took a closer look at it. The building itself was worn down and the pathway was filled with moss, dirt and who knows what else. I felt sad when I saw the state of the shrine. I couldn't for the life of me figure out why, but seeing such a spiritual place in such disarray was enough to make me sigh.

_...I should come visit this place later. Who knows when it was since the shrine last had a visitor._

I continued walking. The shopping district was a rather lonely place to be on a Sunday. I thought it would have been full of students and other adults, but nary a soul could be seen.

I didn't know if it was because of the atmosphere or the situation I knew I would be getting myself into, but I was nervous. More so than usual. I knew that getting into a panic would benefit no-one, and I _was _able to keep my nerves under control, but I couldn't help but let that small pang of uneasiness shoot through me.

It was like having a sudden rainstorm in the middle of a nice sunny day. Some people would take that as an ill omen, and admittedly I was one of them. Surprising? Not really. I was always a big believer in stuff like that. Especially magic.

Ever since I was a kid I believed in magic. This was before my mother explained to me what happened on that day thirteen years ago. If it was that moment, her sitting before me and explaining what happened to my brother and father, that introduced me to the world of magic, I probably wouldn't have been so interested. In fact, I probably would have hated it.

But it wasn't that. No. I was introduced to magic in the best way possible, from the best person possible.

In any case, I just couldn't help but get nervous whenever a rainy day is forecast. It wasn't as though I was afraid of the rain—I just much preferred the warmth of sun.

I continued to walk, avoiding a puddle that was in my path, getting lost in my thoughts about what we were going to do when we get to the TV world.

~ Book of Souls ~

I got to Junes around an hour later. Yosuke and Chie were at the food court waiting for me. I hoped that I hadn't kept them waiting for too long. They gave me a wave once they caught sight of me. I walked over and took a seat opposite Chie.

"Alright, we're all here," Yosuke said. "Now, is there anything we need to discuss before we go in there. Let's air out any concerns we have before we get into the thick of things."

Yosuke always had an adept mind when it came to stating the obvious. But that trait often worked in his favour, rather than get grating. It kept everyone on track and made us think about things clearly. I tapped my chin in thought.

"Well, first off, we need to discuss what we're going to use for weapons. There's no way we'll be able to sneak longswords and axes into the TV world—not unless you're interested in taking a one-way trip to jail."

"Oh yeah, you said that you visited Daidara's," Chie pointed out. "I went there a few times but I never bought anything from there. Did you find something useful?"

In response, I brought up my bag and opened it enough so that they could see in. In it was Grimoire Animus and the knife in the sheath.

"I can get away with this because I'm carrying it in the bag along with that book. You two on the other hand..." It would have been difficult to sneak in weapons for them to use, regardless of what we tried. I had thought of a few—not-so-legal—ways of getting them _something _to use, but we didn't have the time to consider them.

"We might have to just scrounge what we can from that castle," Yosuke concluded. "I mean, a castle as big as that has to have something we can use. I have my Persona, Jiraiya, and you have that book and your instant death move... I'm worried about Satonaka though. She's not exactly prepared to deal with what we'll find."

I agreed with him. It wasn't as though I doubted her ability to fight, but when it came to Shadows, she (and to a degree, Yosuke) would be overwhelmed. I nodded my head.

"Agreed. Chie, you'll have to stick by us the entire time we're in there. Don't go running off, even if we do see Yukiko," I told her. Even though she looked hesitant, and justifiably worried, she nodded in agreement.

"...Alright," she said. "I know how dangerous those things can be. And you fought those things before, so I'll trust your judgement."

_It's good to know at least __**some**_ _people listen to me._

We fell silent for a few moments.

"...Can I ask you two a question?" I spoke up. Chie and Yosuke looked at me.

"Sure, ask away," Chie replied. I wasn't sure why I was asking them this, but it was just something I had to get off my chest.

"...Do you two believe in magic?" I asked. Their looks told me that they weren't exactly expecting that.

"If you had asked me that a week ago, I would have said no," Yosuke said. "But... given what we now know, I have no choice but to believe."

"...I see."

We made our way to the electronics department within Junes shortly after. From there, we entered the large TV we fell into previously.

I was being thrust back into a world I thought I had escaped from. I had wanted to just run away from what happened in that city and start over, even though I still held an important connection to that world. And yet, some force of nature insisted on pulling me back into the fray.

Why, I asked myself. I knew not to expect answers. Not after what happened on that spring day three years back. Regardless of any feelings I may have had on the matter, there was someone in trouble and I had the power to help them.

I failed once before to protect someone—and they died because of that failure. I was determined to not fail again. I wanted to prove this world wrong. That I wasn't cursed.

* * *

~ _**Author's Note**_~

Since I noticed a certain someone uploading Part II of the prequel story, I thought I would go ahead and release this chapter. There should be a regular uploading schedule now, but there are no guarantees around here. I hope you enjoy this for what it was, and there will be some action in the next chapter. I'll see you next time.


	9. Interlude I

~ _**Interlude I: Acceptance **_~

The brown haired girl walked up to the wooden door. She reached out to the handle that was painted gold and pulled down, opening the door. Greeted by darkness, she reached for the light switch and flipped the three switches that was closest to her. The darkness was suddenly dispelled and a bright light illuminated the corridors that were in front of her.

"I'm home!" Chie Satonaka called out, taking off her shoes and placing them against the wall beside the door. There was no response. She walked into the kitchen and turned on the light. She saw a note that was hastily written stuck to the refrigerator. Tearing it off, she read it.

"_Out doing groceries. Chicken and rice in the fridge. -Mom"_

Chie sighed. She was hoping to just idly chat with her mother and father. Anything to avoid thinking about what she had seen, and what that would mean for her. Knowing that her parents wouldn't be back for a while, she took the food left for her and heated it up. She wasn't a great cook by any stretch of the imagination, but she knew how to heat things up.

After having dinner, she went up to her room and turned on the light. What greeted her was a familiar and comforting sight. Training equipment, a coffee table, a small TV which overlooked it, many small trinkets that she had accumulated over the years—most of which she can't recall where she got them, a bed with patterned sheets and pillows and a desk in the far corner whose shelves were full of books—school related or otherwise.

She dropped her bag next to the door and let herself fall on the bed. There wasn't much for her to do, and in any other occasion, she would have been bored. She would have trained to alleviate said boredom, but her mind was preoccupied with thoughts of that world.

_...I can't believe there was a whole other world here. And we didn't even know about it._

It couldn't be helped. It was a world that wasn't meant for man or woman to step into. They fell into it by complete chance. Yosuke and her were adamant about leaving as soon as they got there and saw that fog coated area that stretched for miles and miles.

There was an anomaly though. Something that didn't fit the mould of what could be considered normal.

_Narukami... What exactly have you seen?_

That silver-haired girl was someone who was very guarded, Chie noted. She tended to keep herself enclosed, only telling you what was necessary and didn't appreciate others prying. It wasn't exactly healthy. Chie had to wonder what exactly had happened to make her who she was. The person that was caring yet distant, cold yet warm. It was a contradictory existence that she just couldn't figure out.

Chie shook her head. It wouldn't do to speculate behind someone's back like she was. Besides, the existence that was Yuka Narukami wasn't what was troubling her so. No, it was what had happened once they reached the mirror image of the shopping district. The things she saw were likely to stick in her mind for a long time. The image that sprung to mind when her guard was down, was the image of the two Yosukes. One normal and terrified, the other golden-eyed and malicious.

She watched as Shadow Yosuke cut the real Yosuke down, exposing his true feelings for everyone there to witness. How he was sick of being trapped in Inaba, going through what he saw as a monotonous routine, longing for something exciting to come along and bring some joy to the dull world he was forced into.

He denied it. Why wouldn't he? In his mind, this image that was presented to him was clearly not the kind of person he was. In the end, it was only thanks to Yuka unleashing her hidden power that they were able to win the battle. Yosuke had to come to terms with what his Shadow said and accept that it was right—gaining the power of Persona in the process.

When they discovered what was happening, they all agreed that it had to be stopped. Though Yosuke expressed concern for Chie as she had no experience fighting Shadows, she still insisted on coming along, knowing that her conscience would get the best of her should she leave it alone.

It was only a few hours after the fact, that she realised what exactly that would mean.

"..."

She had no Persona. And that world seemed to have the ability to draw out the darker sides of a person, hidden or otherwise suppressed, and manifest them. It's a world that exposes what that person is feeling. Societal conduct nor restraint was present in these creatures. They spoke without thinking about how their words hurt the one they speak to.

And Chie realised that if she was going to help solve the murder cases, she'll end up discovering her own dark side someday. Sooner or later, she'll have to confront that which she tried to hide.

She sat up.

_...Yukiko._

Thoughts of the black-haired beauty entered her mind. She was so beautiful, she thought to herself. So much more beautiful than her. Yukiko was too polite and modest to ever call herself that though. She'd either deflect the compliments given to her or try to point out that she wasn't _that _pretty. Every time, without fail, Chie would say that she's wrong.

She either didn't know that people think that she was beautiful or was ignoring it. It was so irritating, Chie thought. Compared to her, she was so plain. Why couldn't Yukiko see what she had?!

A shaky breath escaped Chie's lips. She had known. She had known for a while now. How she truly felt about her friend, but was so ashamed that she couldn't even stand thinking about it. She valued her friendship with Yukiko above all, and to admit to this hidden feeling would stand to ruin it.

Everywhere they went, people spoke in hushed tones and excited whispers about Yukiko Amagi. In Inaba, she was like a princess. Seemingly untouchable to normal folk, though they work to have even the small hope that they would catch her eye, perhaps even woo her.

And Chie, the ever loyal friend, was by her side, always ignored. And sometimes, she watches the scene with scornful eyes.

She was jealous. Jealous of her friend, and how everyone trips over themselves to impress her and yet she scares the men away with her tomboyish personality and her sometimes violent attitude. It wasn't something that she could help. It was just how she was. And changing that person too much would seem like a betrayal in her eyes.

"..."

Her instinct was to deny, deny, deny. Like she always did when she thought about it for more than a few seconds. That her friendship with Yukiko wasn't a lie. That she wasn't just using her.

_...I'm pathetic._

She knew that it wasn't a lie. She truly loves the time she spends with her friend. So when did her perspective on their relationship change? It didn't matter at that point, she thought to herself. The point was that what she was doing was wrong.

_I can't keep lying to myself._

It wasn't as though she didn't notice. All the times Yukiko came to her for help, whatever it may have been. She would help her, like a good friend should. Thinking about those moments now, with the thoughts she had during those times alone, made her feel sick with repulsion. She couldn't believe that she was capable of that.

She stood up and paced back and forth, trying to keep her mind from darting off into different directions.

Yukiko once called her very strong, and very kind. Chie saw the look on Yukiko's face as she said that. That desire to be as strong as she was. It was like holding a priceless treasure and seeing the enviable eyes of those who wished to have it. It made her almost giddy to hear and see Yukiko admit, even for a moment, that Chie was better than her.

She relished the times where Yukiko put her on a pedestal as someone to be admired.

_You're a horrible friend. Using Yukiko as a means to make yourself feel good. You can't deny it. You have to face it eventually. And when the truth comes out, what will people think then? What would Yukiko think? Without her, you're worthless! When she leaves you, you'll be all alone. What then? What then, you_—

"Dammit! SHUT. UP!"

A loud bang sounded out throughout the house as Chie turned around and kicked the punching bag she had hovering near the middle of the room, letting out all the pent up feelings of frustration and anger she hid during the day.

Bombarded by these thoughts day and night took its toll on her. Ever since the fight with Yosuke's Shadow, she have had these thoughts. The fear that she would encounter her own Shadow festered in her mind, causing her to think about what it might reveal about herself.

"_Everyone's the same inside._"

Remembering these words calmed Chie.

_...She's right._

She couldn't believe it. Why didn't she realise it sooner? All humans are flawed. All humans have things they want to hide. Whether it be a strange quirk or a secret that they fear would change how people think of them. And that included her.

_I can deny it all I want. It still doesn't change that these feelings are a part of me._

A little of the weight she had been carrying was lifted from her heart. And in it's place was a sort of strength that allowed Chie to smile.

_I'm not strong at all... I need to make this right. I have to tell Yukiko. I have to tell her I'm sorry. And if that Shadow comes along and tries to rattle me, I know exactly what to say!_

Chie punched her open palm with her fist. It was obvious from the start, but she was so focused on lying to herself that she just couldn't see it. Accepting this truth was a good step forward. Now, Chie thought, she needed to turn that step into a sprint and continue moving towards that goal. Whatever it may be.

Feeling more relaxed than ever, she let herself fall back on the bed. She looked up at the clock. 8 PM. Her parents still weren't home and she wondered where they could have been. Her thoughts turned to the Midnight Channel. What would she see when that clock strikes twelve? No matter what it may have been, she would fight to save people.

That was who she was. Someone that protects others. Her determination was firm, and nothing would stop her. Not Shadows, and definitely not herself.

~ Book of Souls ~

The night sky slowly receded and an orange hue crept over the horizon. Chie had woken up early. She wanted to get a jog in and make sure she was ready for the task ahead. She almost couldn't believe what she saw on the Midnight Channel. Her friend, Yukiko. And she was definitely not herself.

Yosuke had called her soon after the strange segment ended and told her what Yuka told him. That it was most likely her Shadow that was speaking and that it was likely that Yukiko was trapped in that strange world.

She didn't sleep easy that night, and was anxious to get going. She was going to meet with Yuka and Yosuke at Junes to plan out their next move. She was a little early, so she walked a little slower than she was used to. It allowed her time to think.

Even though she had found her answer the previous night, it didn't change what was likely to happen. She needed to be ready. And the weight in her stomach made her doubt that she was.

_...This is normal. We're going into a dangerous world. It's alright to be a little nervous._

She walked along the riverbank, through the shopping district and eventually arrived at the point where she was able to make out Junes' sign out in the distance. She quickened her pace and within a few minutes she was walking into the food court. On a white table near the middle sat a familiar fawn-haired male.

He waved at her when he caught sight of her.

"Yo!" Yosuke said. "Just in time. Narukami's going to be a little late, she's going to get something from Daidara's."

"Daidara's Metalworks?" she asked curiously. "I've browsed there a few times, but I never got anything from there."

"Well, she has something in mind. All we can do is wait for her to come."

And like that, the area was silent. Chie didn't know what Yosuke thought of the situation, but she figured he, herself and Yuka were operating on a similar wavelength. They knew what their goal was.

Out of sight, Chie's hands gripped the sides of her chair.

_Wait for me, Yukiko. We'll save you. No matter what it takes._


	10. Chapter VIII

~ _**Chapter VIII: Winter Forest / Shadow Chie **_~

When we entered the TV at Junes, we quickly found ourselves on the stage we ended up in the first time we fell into the TV. We saw Teddie standing off in a corner with his back turned to us.

"Same place as before, just as he said," Chie commented as we walked to the centre of the stage. Yosuke looked to where Teddie stood.

"What're you doing?" he asked.

"Can't you tell? I'm thinking about stuff," Teddie responded without turning in our direction. All this time, he had been thinking about himself. Possibly trying to find an answer to his question of where he came from. "I've been deli-_bear_-ating over it for a long time now." He let out a light chuckle. "Hey, that wasn't a bad joke. Heehee...!"

A moment of silence for the terrible bear pun.

"So... did you figure anything out?" Yosuke asked, trying his best not to groan at the poor attempt at humour. "Eh, it's probably useless to think about it too much. We've seen the inside of your skull, and it was empty."

That didn't exactly win him any points with Teddie, who rushed over to where he stood and stomped his foot on the ground a few times, looking annoyed.

"How rude!" he yelled. "You're right, though. I try and try but nothing comes out of my head."

It seemed as though this was something that Teddie really struggled with. He had no clue who he was or what he was, and so he spent the hours here alone trying to come to an answer.

"...I'm sure you'll find answers eventually," I told him. "More importantly, someone has shown up on the Midnight Channel. Do you know anything about it?"

Teddie turned to look at me, suddenly looking more cheerful than before.

"I certainly do, Sensei," he told me with a smile. "I don't know who's in there but I think I smelled a castle."

_How does one __**smell**_ _a castle? Kinda curious._

"It matches up with what we saw," Yosuke said. "And we know who's in there. Do you think you can take us there?"

"Of course," Teddie replied, nodding at Yosuke. "We better be careful though. The Shadows have been a bit more aggressive than usual."

Teddie turned around to lead us down the path to the north from where we stood. Before that though...

"Hey, Teddie."

That got his attention and he turned to face me.

*_**WHACK!**_*

I punched him. Only lightly, of course. I expected someone of his... constitution, to fall over at the slightest breeze. So it wasn't particularly much of a surprise to see him fall on his back.

"That was for biting me," I told him with a hint of annoyance. We watched as he flailed his arms and legs in a panic.

"H-Help!" I let him fumble around for a few seconds before I went to help him up. He shook his head and stared at me like a dejected kitten. The sight of which made me feel a little guilty. "Sensei, that was mean."

Though I felt bad, I shrugged my shoulders. I thought to myself to ask him what kind of food he liked later on, so I could buy it for him as a sign of apology.

"You bit me." For that moment though, I kept up a cool persona. "You were about to do something?"

Teddie quickly regained his enthusiasm.

"Oh yeah!" He walked towards the north and we followed him. We let him lead us to where we needed to go. The environment that we passed through resembled that of a ruined city. It looked somewhat familiar, but it was impossible to tell what it could have been in its current state. When I looked to my left after clearing the ruins of a building, I could faintly see a bridge in the distance. It was too far for me to see it clearly, but even still, I could tell what it was.

It took us roughly an hour to make it to the castle. In that time I was allowed a little room to think to myself. That was the plan, in any case, but Yosuke had something to say roughly ten minutes into our walk.

"So, what's the plan, Leader?" he asked. "I mean, this isn't spur-of-the-moment like what happened with me. We need some form of strategy."

While I wasn't sure about the nickname he gave me, I agreed with him. While it was impossible to have a fail-proof plan going into unknown territory such as this, it was a good idea to have some ground rules so we could keep calm and coordinated.

"...I don't really have a plan." The problem was, I wasn't much of a leader. I always preferred to go off on my own when it came to these sort of things. I would have preferred to be on my own for this, but I doubt those two would have left me alone now that they were involved. "The best I can give you is stay close to me and do what I tell you."

Yosuke shrugged his shoulders.

"Good a plan as any," he said. The lack of a plan wasn't exactly what I was worried about. I was used to winging it by that point. No, what I was worried about was something else entirely.

"...I'm more concerned about Chie, in all honesty," I brought up tentatively. "She doesn't have a Persona like you do, Yosuke." I stopped and turned to look at her, everyone else stopping with me. "You're just as vulnerable as Yukiko is right now. We might see and hear things that will probably be... unpleasant. Are you sure you want to keep going?"

Chie turned her head, uncertainty in her expression.

"...I've been thinking about this ever since we saw Yosuke's Shadow," she started. "I knew as soon as I agreed to help you guys that I might come across my darker side one day. A side of me that I knew existed but was never willing to confront or accept... I spent a few nights thinking about this. And if... _when_, we encounter my Shadow... I know exactly what I'm going to say."

I didn't respond.

_...I hope she knows what she's doing._

With that exchange, the area fell silent once more. Now that I had some quiet to think to myself, I thought back to what Teddie said, after I helped him up from his Humpty-Dumpty routine. He called me _'Sensei'_. I was sure he called me that the first time we were in the TV world, but I didn't pay much attention to it due to the situation at the time. Now though, I allowed myself to get lost in my memories as we walked.

A blue sky, with wisps of white clouds hanging above me. A sunny day. A gentle breeze. A woman with light brown hair.

"_Hey. You alone?_"

She is someone that is important to me. She showed me something that I really needed to see.

"Hey, Narukami?"

I was pulled out of my memories by Chie's voice, which compelled me to look at her.

"Yes, what is it?" I asked.

"Are you okay?" she asked in return. "You look a little out of it."

"I'm fine," I told her honestly. "I was just thinking about something."

The others didn't pry, mostly because they were watching the area around us. Eventually we arrived at the brown castle. The red sky that blanketed the area made the castle that much more imposing. It looked more like a demon castle than a castle that a princess would reside in. Then again, that might just be the point. We stopped outside the entrance.

I looked to my left and right and saw gargoyle statues overlooking the path we stood on. It was like they were watching us. For all I knew, they were. I ignored them though.

"I take it this is the place?" Yosuke asked.

"Yup," Teddie replied surely.

"A castle..." Chie let out. "This is the place that was shown on the Midnight Channel."

We all turned to look at Teddie.

"You're positive that no one's behind a camera for that bizarre midnight program?" Yosuke asked him. Teddie looked confused at Yosuke's words.

"_'Program'_...? I don't know. Maybe people on your side can see stuff in this world. It might be that. And I told you before! There's only me and Shadows here!"

A chill went down my spine as he talked.

"There's no _'camera' _stuff going on. This world has been like this from the beginning."

"_'From the beginning'_...? _That's _what we don't understand!" Yosuke told him. Teddie shrugged his shoulders.

"I dunno. Can you guys explain everything about your world? I've never seen this _'program' _thingy before. So I don't know."

_That reminds me. Does Teddie even eat food? I didn't even think about that... Oh well, one more thing to ask him._

"Well... is that really what's happening?" Chie asked. "Are we really looking into this world? I mean, we saw Yukiko say stuff like _'score myself a hot stud'_. That just isn't like her."

"_'Score'_? _'Stud'_?" Teddie asked curiously but received no answer.

"Yeah. It was her Shadow that was saying all of that," Yosuke said. "Do you think it's because Yukiko-san is in this world that her Shadow has appeared?"

"Most likely," I responded. "It wouldn't make much sense otherwise. It also matches with the timeline my uncle and I figured out. She disappeared at 7 PM last night, and appeared on the Midnight Channel that very same night. The timing is too perfect... but who would kidnap someone like her? And how? And why...?"

"There's a lot of stuff I still don't get," Teddie interrupted and said. "But after hearing your story, I think that _'program' _happens because of the person who appears on it. Or something like that. Like Sensei said, her Shadow most likely appeared because of her ending up here."

"Is Yukiko in that castle right now?" I asked him. Teddie stepped towards me a little.

"I think so," he replied. "So, um, what's this _'scoring with a hot stud' _thing...?"

_Something that I won't be explaining to a possible minor._

I turned around and looked at the castle. That chill went up my spine again.

"...Something's not right about this," I whispered to myself. I just couldn't shake off the feeling that we were being followed. By what, I wasn't sure of, but I wouldn't put it past whoever created this world to keep an eye on creatures outside of its normal inhabitants. My worried whisper didn't catch the ears of anyone else.

And so, we entered the castle carefully and quietly. While the others looked worried, it wasn't what _I _was worried about. Of course, I was concerned for Yukiko's well-being, but fear for others safety doesn't count for much if you aren't safe yourself. And stepping into the first floor of this castle, I knew that we weren't safe. I doubted that anywhere in this strange, ever-expanding world could be considered safe.

The interior was quite a contrast compared to the outside. Whilst the exterior gave the sense that the castle is dark and foreboding, the interior gave off a much _colder _atmosphere. The same dark colours were there but it had a different feel compared to the entrance.

"...Okay, this place is creeping me out and I haven't even taken a step yet," Yosuke said, sounding appropriately worried about what was in front of us.

"I don't know. I think this place seems rather homely," I replied completely deadpan. Half the fun in me doing stuff like that was watching them try and figure out whether or not I was being completely serious.

"You are so weird, Narukami," Yosuke said as he looked around.

"I'll take that as a compliment," I replied. I took a few steps into the corridor. All the windows had the curtains closed, and only a dim light from the various candles that were bolted onto the walls illuminated the path ahead of us. "Hmm." I normally expected to be attacked by now, going from previous experience but Shadows biding their time wasn't uncommon either.

_In any case, getting into a confrontation isn't smart at the moment, considering everyone else's lack of weapons._

The first priority was finding something for Yosuke and Chie to use to defend themselves. With that in mind, I went into my bag and brought out my knife and Grimoire Animus. I handed the book to Teddie.

"Hold this for me," I requested of him. "I can't move around freely with the knife and hold that book at the same time. So open it up when I say so."

"You got it, Sensei." Teddie examined the book from various angles. "Um... how do I use this?"

"It'll know," I simply said before turning to face the corridor ahead of us. Nothing immediately noticeable was in sight and the only way we could get to Yukiko was to move forward. "Nowhere to go but forward."

We moved further into the castle. There was a severe lack of presence about the place. I'm not sure if that's an accurate word to use to describe it, considering its rather extravagant appearance, but the lack of Shadows that were roaming about made me worried. Teddie proved invaluable in keeping track of where we were.

I don't quite know how his nose works, but it is helpful. It is extremely helpful.

Following his direction, we entered a room that looked like an armoury. There were plenty of weapons that were stored. I assumed that in a castle this room would be the place where soldiers would go to arm themselves before going off to defend the castle from invaders. Now, we were the ones who were arming ourselves.

We spent a few minutes looking around the room, trying to find the right weapons that suited Chie and Yosuke.

"Why would a castle like this have an armoury?" Chie asked. "Yukiko isn't the kind of person to get violent."

"Maybe this is another side of Yukiko that you didn't know about," I pointed out as I looked around. I already had a weapon, but it was a good idea to have a backup. "It makes sense for a castle to have an armoury though. Have a stockpile of weapons ready in case you need them."

"Ooo," I heard Yosuke let out from the other side of the room. "These look cool." I peered over the weapon stand I was at and watched Yosuke mess around with a pair of kunai. He posed with them before throwing the dagger in his right hand up in the air a few times, catching it as it fell. He threw it up once, twice, and on the third throw, he missed it, almost cutting his hand had he not reflexively moved out of the way.

"Careful, those are sharp," I said to him somewhat sarcastically. I looked at the weapons in front of me, taking my attention off of him. In front of me were a set of swords, and I picked the one the furthest to the right. A katana in a black sheath. I took a look at the blade and I could tell from looking at it that the blade wasn't used at all. It was left untouched. I put it back in the sheath and handed the blade to Teddie.

"Hold this for a moment," I told him while turning back around. I stopped when I had a sudden thought. Holding the blade by my side was just extra weight that I couldn't afford to carry. The reason why I chose the knife was the advantage of speed. Something that I would lose should I carry another weapon. I turned back around.

"On second thought, you keep it," I said. "Throw it to me when I say so."

Teddie nodded.

"You got it, Sensei," he said and stood diligently by the door. Meanwhile, Chie had chosen _her _weapon, and it wasn't something that I expected her to carry. A pair of greaves strapped to her legs. She bounced up and down, presumably to get comfortable with them.

"Greaves?" I asked curiously. "You plan to use your legs?"

Yosuke answered the question for her.

"I would have been surprised if she picked anything else. Major kung-fu nut," he explained. "Always has been."

"Ah."

I wanted to test something out but that moment wasn't exactly the best time so I kept it to myself. After making sure everything was in order, we left the room, now more equipped to deal with any threats we came across.

We continued down the hallway. This floor was a lot bigger than I imagined it being. We had already covered about three corridors and the only doors we encountered led to empty rooms. Yosuke was starting to get a little frustrated.

"We search and search and we find nothing but empty rooms. Are you sure Yukiko-san's here, Teddie?"

"I'm sure!" Teddie replied. "Yukiko-san's here. She's on the top floor, at the throne room."

"At this rate, we'll tire ourselves out before we find her," Chie said, sighing. "We've made no progress at all."

As she said that, I happened to dart my eyes so I was looking at what was behind us, doing so in a way that didn't draw their attention to it. I saw it. Just barely; it managed to duck into a room before I could see completely what it was, but I saw what looked like a mechanical spider leg disappear out of sight.

_...So you were what was following us._

I had the suspicion that we were being followed ever since we left for the castle, but I couldn't place my finger on what it was. Taking that slim chance that I would see something proved to pay off for us. There was still a problem though.

_If it knows that we know it's there, it'll strike to kill._

No doubt that whatever was there was following us for a reason. And the way it hid itself proved that it didn't want to be seen. If I reacted in any way to what I had seen, it would have caught Yosuke and Chie's attention. So I didn't. I brought my eyes back forward and continued walking.

"...We'll go as far as we can. At the very least, we'll have a better grasp at what we're dealing with—" I stopped. My sudden action caused everything to stop in their tracks.

"Narukami, what's—?"

"Shh!" I shushed Yosuke and walked to the corner ahead of us. I had an abnormally good sense of hearing, so when I caught wind of an unnatural sound, I had to take notice. I focused. It was indistinct, but I could hear the sounds of voices. Voices that weren't human. My eyes widened. I ran back to the others.

"Hide!" I whispered. Taking the hint, they ran with me back to an open door we had passed. The room was empty, thankfully, and we took refuge there. I closed the door so that there was a small crack we can hear from. Half a minute passed before I heard the voices again.

"Agh, why do _we _get all these crap jobs? We could probably get more money washing dishes in the human world."

"Shut your whiney trap. Someone's gotta do it, and it just so happened to be us."

"This world has become more and more dangerous lately. What with all those Greater Shadows that had popped up recently."

I looked through the crack and caught sight of some figures passing by.

_Oni?_

I couldn't tell if they were Shadows or not, but their shapes resembled the devils that roamed our land. In folklore, anyway. But sometimes fiction can come close to resembling reality.

"Yeah, whoever's been throwing these people in here has been causing nothing but trouble. Then again... there is—"

"Don't you dare speak their name. Whispers in the air say that one of them has been roaming the land, looking for something. I don't know about you, but I want to _avoid _running into them."

"On that I can agree."

The voices grew more distant until they disappeared completely. We exited the room.

"What was that about?" Yosuke asked. "Why didn't we just take them out?"

"Mostly so we could hear what they were talking about," I told him. "And also... There's something about all this that doesn't sit well with me."

"Yeah," Chie agreed. "Those Shadows clearly didn't want to be here and were forced into guarding this place... What exactly is here that they're so scared of?"

"I don't know." I had the suspicion that it was the thing I saw earlier, but I didn't know for certain. "And I think we should be scared as well."

The corridor seemed to be just a little colder at that moment.

"I think we should keep moving," Teddie spoke up and said. "We can be attacked at any moment."

Nodding in agreement, we continued down the corridor.

~ Book of Souls ~

After a few more minutes of wondering, Yosuke and Chie noticeably turning to look back down the way they came quite often, we came across an unlocked door. Opening it up revealed a staircase that lead to the second floor.

"Finally," Yosuke said with a sigh. "Progress."

We walked up the stairs and came across yet another door. We didn't know what was beyond it.

"Teddie. Do you know what's beyond here?" I asked the bear.

"Hmm... I can't say for certain," he said. "You'll just have to open it up and see what's there."

That thought wasn't comforting in the slightest. I sighed.

"Looks like we have no choice in the matter."

I opened the door. A circular room with similar décor to the corridors we had walked through greeted us. We walked to the centre, noting the silence.

"...I don't like this," Yosuke said. "It's far too quiet."

"Don't say things like that. You'll regret it," I told him. I had learned that goading fate on like that was never a good idea. We had reached the centre of the room when I said that. And then, we heard it.

"_She said that red looks good on me._"

That was definitely Yukiko's voice. Where it was coming from though, we couldn't say. I didn't think it was actually Yukiko speaking. It was more like her innermost thoughts—the thoughts she tried to hide were spilling out into this world for all to hear through her subconscious.

"Yukiko-san?!" Yosuke called out when he heard the voice. He looked around while I turned to look at Chie. She looked a little shaken by what she heard. A look of recognition was on her features.

"_I hated my name... Yukiko... _'_Snow'..._" the voice that belonged to Yukiko continued. "_Snow is cold and it melts quickly... It's transient... worthless... But it's perfect for me... Apart from inheriting the inn, I'm worthless... Still... Chie told me that red looks good on me._"

"Are these... Yukiko-san's inner thoughts?" Yosuke asked, catching onto the same line of thought that I had. "I remember hearing Saki-senpai's too..."

"This castle seems to be a reflection of this Yukiko person," Teddie said. "That's what I think anyway."

"Yukiko..." Chie said softly.

"_Chie was the only one who gave my life meaning... She's bright and strong, and she can do anything... She has everything that I don't... Compared to Chie, I'm... I'm..._"

"...Stop it..." Chie said under her breath. "I'm not... I'm not..."

"_Chie protects me... She looks after my worthless life..._ _And I... I don't deserve any of it... Chie is so kind..._"

"Yukiko, I-I..." Chie looked sad about hearing this praise. It came at the cost of Yukiko declaring that her life was worthless compared to hers. She shook her head, denying those words which cut at her. "That's not..."

"_'__Chie is so kind'_, huh? What a joke."

Chie's head snapped to attention. As did ours. The voice we heard was similar, yet not. It sounded like Chie, but we knew it wasn't her that spoke those words. Fading into existence from the opposite side of the room was a mirror image of the girl that stood behind us. The difference was her golden eyes that were piercing.

"Oh man... Is that...?!" Yosuke asked, knowing what the answer was, but I nodded silently in affirmation anyway.

"It's just like Yosuke!" Teddie said, already confirming what we know. Chie, I noticed, was absolutely silent and stared at the creature before her.

"Are we talking about _that_ Yukiko?! She says I'm protecting her?!" Shadow Chie said with a wide smile, making her appearance all the more unnerving. "She says she's worthless!" She lets out a chuckle. "That's how it should be, right?"

The Chie that stood behind us stayed silent.

"Yukiko's sooo good looking, sooo fair-skinned, sooo feminine... She's the one all the guys drool over. When Yukiko looked at me with such jealousy... Man, did I get a charge out of that." The Shadow's expression changed to a glare. "Yukiko knows the score. She can't do anything if I'm not around. I'm better than her... Much, much better!"

More silence. My eyes darted in Chie's direction, and I could clearly see her fists balled up and shaking.

_Why won't she say anything?_

She clearly looked like she wanted to say something in response, but she was using all her will to stop herself. Stop herself from denying what it said. Even if what she truly wanted was to do so. To yell in this creature's face that it wasn't true.

A Shadow is a manifestation of yourself. Of all the things you want to lock away and never think of again. Therefore, to deny it would be a contradiction. To deny it would be to deny yourself.

"Wh-What're we gonna do?" Yosuke asked me. Before I could answer, a hand rested on my shoulder.

_Huh?_

I turned to look. Chie looked at me with a determined expression. She pushed me out of the way and stepped forward. I immediately recognised what she was doing.

"You sure?" I asked her. It wasn't a warning or a suggestion to turn away. It was a simple question.

"...Yeah," she replied. She took another step forward and continued walking.

"What are you doing?!" Yosuke yelled and started to step forward as well. I raised a hand in front of him.

"Don't," I said sternly.

"But we need to help Chie-chan!" Teddie protested. The Shadow chuckled as he finished that sentence.

"That's right. I'm the one who can't do anything alone," she said, her expression going back to that unnerving smile. Chie had stepped into position a few feet in front of her by that point. "I can't win as a girl, let alone as a person... I'm pathetic. But Yukiko... She depends on me." The Shadow placed a hand over her eyes and chuckled. Her body shook as she did so. "That's why she's my friend. I'll never loosen my grip on her... She's too important to me."

Chie stood firm in the face of this unrelenting bombardment. She was facing herself at that moment. The self that enjoyed the fact that Yukiko depended on her, that leaned on her, that looked to her as a source of guidance. The self that used Yukiko to make herself forget about her own insecurities. The Shadow removed her hand from her face and glared at Chie when she noticed her silence.

"What? Aren't you going to say anything? You're going to turn your back and deny me again? When you start to think about it, you turn around and throw me away like a cheap toy. Again. And again! And _AGAIN_! Your _'friendship'_ with her is nothing but a crutch! Something that was convenient for you... But things are different now. When the time comes, I'll be the one left standing. You won't mind, right? I'm still you!"

Silence. That was all that could be heard. Yosuke and Teddie wanted to charge in, but I was holding them back. Eventually, two words were spoken. And they weren't the words we expected to hear.

"...I'm sorry."

"...What?"

The Shadow's expression turned into one of surprise. As did ours. I couldn't tell what Chie's expression was like. She continued, ignoring our shocked looks.

"I'm sorry for denying you for so long," she said. "I... I understand. That it's true. What you said... it's all true. This was a side of me that I couldn't forgive. A side of me that I was trying so desperately to ignore. I knew coming here that I would need to face this fact. That I had been a terrible friend, using Yukiko to satisfy my own ends. You were something that I pretended didn't exist, so I don't have to deal with the guilt that came with you."

"Chie..." Yosuke said softly. There was nothing that we could say, so we let her talk.

"That still doesn't change the fact that you _do_ exist. You've been a part of me for such a long time now. Denying it now would only hurt us both... You are me. And I am you. It really is as simple as that."

We were stunned speechless by this. The Shadow, seeing that her other self had accepted her at last, let out a soft smile that resembled the Chie that we knew. Her golden eyes weren't piercing and cold in that moment. It was warm. The Shadow disappeared. Her figure resembled something else for a moment, though I couldn't see it. The only one that would for that moment, was the person who had faced themselves. A card floated down and disappeared.

We walked over to her, seeing that any danger that was there had completely vanished now. Chie looked back and forth between Yosuke and I, and looked slightly worried.

"I... Um... It's true that part of me feels that way... But my friendship with Yukiko... That wasn't a lie."

"Like we didn't know that already," Yosuke said jokingly, and also relieved.

"...It isn't easy. To look inward, see those faults and admit them. Not just to others, but also to yourself. It's like running through a forest in the winter. You can't see beyond the trees, the snow covering the path ahead of you. Sometimes, you just want to give up. You keep going however, and you eventually break through the dark forest, greeted by a sunlit field that you can run free in."

"Heh, I'm didn't peg you to be a philosopher, Narukami," Yosuke said, chuckling a little at my speech. I uncharacteristically scratch my cheek, looking slightly embarrassed.

"I admit, my mind does go off into these tangents from time to time," I told him. I noticed then that Chie's knees were shaking a little. A second later, they buckled and I moved to catch her before she fell.

"Whoa!" I let out as I caught her. "Are you alright?!" I asked.

"I'm okay..." Chie said, one eye closed. "Just a little tired..."

"You don't look okay at all..." Yosuke said. "And I bet you can use the same power we have now."

_Well, it's more "the same power you have" than "we have", Yosuke._

"What should we do?"

At Yosuke's question, I was silent. I looked around the room. It was quiet. And yet, I couldn't shake the feeling that something was there. Something that we couldn't possibly fight at the moment.

"...Let's go back," I said, helping Chie up to her feet. Yosuke nodded in agreement.

"I agree. We need to let Chie rest."

Chie had a bit of a problem with that.

"I-I never said I needed a break! I... can still keep going..." The look on her face that says she was about to fall asleep said otherwise.

"You shouldn't push yourself," Teddie said in response.

"We're not doubting that you can. It's just, we have to save Yukiko-san, no matter what," Yosuke added. "Now that you have the power, you can fight with us. It'd be much better for us all if you got your strength back. That's why we're saying we should go back and regroup."

"But Yukiko's still in here, isn't she?! I-I... If those were Yukiko's true feelings... then I have to tell her something," Chie told us. "I'm not as strong as she thinks! It's because she was with me. Because we were always together, I was able to act that way. If we weren't, I'd..."

"Save the confessions for when we find her," I told her. "It's not safe here right now, especially since you're fatigued."

There was one other option, since only one of us was actually tired. It didn't even come to close to being a blip on my mind however. I didn't need to consider it. I threw that idea away like trash and never thought of it again. Yosuke thought the same.

"Besides, Yuki-chan's normal. The Shadows don't attack normal people."

"Bullshit," I immediately said. "They can quite easily attack normal people. They've done it before..." Saying that though, I paused and looked around the room. The area was calm now and didn't hold the same dark, oppressive air it did before. "This place is really strange though... You know something we don't, Teddie?"

"They only attack when the fog lifts here. They're actually pretty docile until then."

"So Yukiko-san will be safe until then?" Yosuke asked. Teddie nodded in affirmation.

"How much time do we have?" I asked Yosuke, who ran a hand through his hair.

"The weather here is the opposite of our world, and the fog in Inaba sets in after a period of heavy rain... I don't know. We'll need to check the weather forecast as soon as we get back. In any case, even if we leave for a while, Yukiko-san won't be in any danger until the fog starts to cover Inaba."

"We can't just turn back now!" Chie protested. "Yukiko's still here! She's all alone! She must be so scared!"

"Then tell us, how high do we have to go to reach the throne room?" I asked her. Chie couldn't articulate a proper response. She didn't know. Yosuke didn't know. And I sure as hell didn't know. The only certainty was that Yukiko was safe for the moment. Against the Shadows, any advantage we could take was something not to take for granted.

"I promise you," I continued, "we'll find Yukiko. For now, we need to go back and rest. I won't let you self-destruct."

"But—"

"Please."

Her eyes widened and her expression changed slightly. I didn't think I said anything to warrant it, but what I said got the effect I desired regardless. Chie nodded in silent agreement. I nodded to Yosuke, telling him without words to come to me.

"Can you help Chie walk?" I asked. "...I don't think we're completely alone here."

"No kidding," Yosuke said. I don't think he understood what I was trying to say. He seemed to be under the impression that I was talking about Shadows.

Teddie stuck by Chie and Yosuke as they slowly made their way back to the staircase. I lagged behind, glancing back at the room we were just in. There was something there. I couldn't see it. Nor perceive it. Not even my natural instinct when it came to detecting magic did me any good here. Under normal circumstances, I would have dismissed this as me being paranoid.

But I knew that I had every right to be worried. I saw it. With my own eyes, I saw the thing that roamed the corridors of this castle.

_...I know you're there._

There was no reason to confront it. I assumed that it thought it had the advantage of surprise on its side. That none of us were aware of its existence. I intended to keep it that way for the moment, as there was no way we could win against it. Whatever it was.

With a sigh, I turned around and walked to catch up to the others. We had managed to cover little ground on our first visit. I thought that next time, we would get to the top and rescue Yukiko. I had little reason to doubt that we will.

The path was cleared for us to do so, after all.


	11. Chapter IX

~ _**Chapter IX: A Brief Reprieve / Spirit of the Shrine (I) **_~

We got back to the stage where we first ended up roughly an hour and a half after we left the castle behind us. It would have taken us a lot less time but we had to accommodate Chie not feeling her best. She let out a sickly groan.

"I...I'm feeling even worse than the last time we came in here," she said. Even with the strength of heart she had to accept her Shadow, that didn't necessarily mean that she would get off scot-free. "My head feels like it's gonna split open... Are you guys okay?"

"We were lucky enough not to get into a fight," I said. "Next time though... We should be ready for anything."

"...By the way, did you guys notice something strange about that castle?" Yosuke asked. We all turned to look at him with confused expressions. "How can I describe it...? It's... empty. I mean, there aren't any Shadows roaming around besides those two we hid from, and _they _didn't want to be there any more than we do... What exactly are they expecting to find, if not Shadows?"

"...I was thinking about that myself," I told them. "There's—" I looked around the area as I realised what I was about to reveal, searching for any sign of eavesdropping or some sort of presence that was watching us. "...Actually, I think we should get out of here before discussing this any further. Let's get Chie something to drink and then we can talk about this some more."

"I agree," Yosuke said, nodding his head before turning to look at Teddie. "Teddie, you cool staying here for the moment?"

Though I was apprehensive about Teddie being on his own, I wasn't sure how I was going to explain it to Nanako. I might have been able to explain things to my uncle, but my cousin would be a bit more difficult. For the moment, I had to accept that.

"Sure." Teddie nodded in affirmation. "I'm used to this place anyway. I'll wait for you guys to come back."

We all walked back to the platform. Teddie opened up a portal for us and we walked through, ending up back at Junes. The familiar jingle blaring over the PA was comforting after the tense silence that permeated the castle.

~ Book of Souls ~

It was around lunch time. We had spent quite a fair amount of time in the TV world, and when I noticed the time, I noticed that I was starving! Seriously starving. We didn't even do that much physically and I was hungry. So after ordering some lunch for us, ordering a larger meal than normal for myself, and grabbing a few drinks, we sat at our usual spot and dug in.

The steak that I ordered was quite tasty. I mean, it wasn't five star food (not that I was expecting that) but it was good for the price. After we finished our lunch, the atmosphere surrounding the table became a little more serious.

"Narukami, is there something wrong?" Yosuke asked suddenly. "You've been on edge ever since we left the castle."

"...Yeah," I said. "There's a reason for that. I didn't say anything because telling you guys in that world was too dangerous."

"What is that supposed to mean?"

"...There's something in the castle," I told them before shaking my head. "No. It's been following us ever since we entered the TV world. Teddie couldn't sense it, I couldn't sense it. I don't know what it is, but I think it's the reason that the castle is barren."

"You must have had a lot of experience with these sort of things if you were able to find it under those circumstances," Chie said, sounding impressed.

"It was sheer luck," I responded, sounding exasperated. "I just happened to get a glance of it while we were walking down the corridor. Any one of you could have saw it if you had happened to look in that direction."

"...So what do you think we're dealing with? Did you see what it looked like?"

"Hmm..." I closed my eyes and tried to recall what I saw. It was too fast for me to see it completely, but I did manage to see a part of it at least. "It looked mechanical. Beyond that, I can't be certain... I don't think we can fight it."

"...You're the leader," Yosuke eventually said. "It's your call whether or not we run or fight. If you think something's too powerful for us to take on, I'll trust your judgement. Now then." Yosuke stood up. "Let's make sure we get some rest before we go back in there. That includes you, Satonaka. Take it easy for a while."

"I won't be down for long," Chie said with determination. "I'll be ready to fight in no time."

"...The next time we go into that castle, we're coming out with Yukiko-san," I told them. "I won't accept anything less, and we won't let anything stop us. Got that?"

""Right!""

With a simultaneous declaration and nod of the head, we went our separate ways.

~ Book of Souls ~

Through my aimless walking around, simply to kill some time before going home, I ended up at the shopping district. I walked down the street, occasionally glancing at the sky. It hadn't rained at all in the time between us entering the TV world and us leaving it. I sighed with relief. We still had some time left to rescue Yukiko.

I made a mental note to check the weather forecast as soon as I got home. It never hurts to be careful, after all.

I walked until I reached the shrine's entrance. I stopped and looked down the pathway. The old building and the path to get there was still old and worn down. I remembered my thoughts before I went to meet with the others; how I should visit the shrine. Closing my eyes for a moment, and then opening them again, I slowly made my way down the stone path.

Looking around, I saw that there was some trees off to the sides. They looked healthy and were swaying in the wind. I smiled, glad that there was still some life in this old place. Though I couldn't say the same for the ground. There were some patches of grass surrounding the trees and in random parts of the dirt, but not much.

"They could at least plant some grass here..."

I saw an offering box directly ahead, out of the open so it didn't get filled with water from the rain. There was also a small pathway to the left near the building that led to a fortune box. I stopped directly in front of the shrine.

It may have been old and worn down, but I could still feel a spiritual presence about the entire area. I ran a hand across the wood of the offering box. There was no doubt that the building has been around for a long time. I didn't know how long. I was still quite new to the town and didn't know much about it.

"This place has seen better days..." I said sadly. I looked around. I was the only one there and I doubted that there would be any more visitors. I doubted that anyone would come to fix it up either. It would take a lot of work. "It's such a waste. The spirits won't take kindly to that. If they're still around, of course."

When I was younger, back when we lived in a more remote part of Japan, the shrine was my favourite place to be. I looked forward to the festivals because they would have stalls up. Whenever I had some free time, which as a kid was quite often, I would go visit the shrine. Some people thought that the shrine was creepy, but I always found it peaceful.

There was a sense of serenity that you couldn't find anywhere else. That peace you could find there was a life-saver after my father and brother died. Whenever my mom and I argued, there was two places I would go to whenever I needed to be alone. Either the park, or the shrine. More often than not, it was the shrine I chose.

I sometimes wondered what my life would have been like if I hadn't met him. I would have probably ended up as a miko, but now... I wasn't sure. I looked in the offering box and saw that it was almost empty. I sighed.

The shrine decaying with age. The ground barren. And the lack of people visiting. It was all wrong. A spiritual place such as this deserved better than to be left to wither away as it had. I almost felt insulted by this lack of care.

I reached into my pocket and pulled out my wallet. Grabbing about 500 yen, I dropped it in the offering box. It was the least I could do, to appease the spirits that may still be lingering.

_May this place find life again._

I offered a quick prayer before turning around to leave. I reluctantly started to make my way back down the path to the entrance.

"_...Hauu...?_"

I stopped.

_What was that?_

A voice. A young feminine voice rang out in my ears. I looked around the shrine, trying to find the source of the voice. Around ten seconds passed before I shrugged my shoulders and started to walk towards the exit. I slowed down as I walked until I came to a complete stop.

_...No, that was definitely something._

I turned around to look at the shrine once more. I scanned the area, trying to see anything that wasn't there before. I thought I saw something looking at me, peeking out from behind the shrine itself. Wanting to be cautious, I walked towards where I thought I saw the figure. I peeked around the corner and saw... nothing. There wasn't any presence of any kind.

"Hmm... I was sure I saw something."

I wondered if I was just seeing things. I was feeling kind of drained after that nerveracking trip into the castle. I rubbed my eyes.

"That world's messing with my head."

I turned around and walked back down the path; back out onto the streets of the shopping district. I passed by a couple of people minding their own business. After that, I took a bus back home.

~ Book of Souls ~

Around three to four hours passed since I got home. Dojima managed to get back an hour after I walked through the door. He, Nanako and I were now sat around the small table in the living room, watching TV and having dinner. Dojima was noticeably quiet, a stern expression on his face.

"...Are you feeling okay?" Dojima asked. That turned my attention away from the TV and onto him. "Our conversation this morning... It's been bothering me. I just wanted to check how you were feeling."

"...I'm alright," I told him after a moment. "You don't have to worry."

"...I see." Dojima nodded. "It's just been nagging at me, that's all."

From the corner of my eye, I saw Nanako look between Dojima and me.

"What's wrong?" she asked. "Are you fighting?"

That surprised the two of us. We turned to look at her, a shocked expression locked on our features.

"No... We're not having a fight," Dojima said awkwardly. While he was able to speak normally to me, he seemed to tread more carefully when talking with Nanako. Almost like trying to walk on ice. I wasn't sure if it was because Nanako was much younger than me or some other factor, but the difference was clear when it happened one after the other.

"This isn't the police station..." Nanako seemed to think that Dojima was interrogating me like I was a suspect of a crime. Dojima himself realised what kind of atmosphere was being projected at the table and winced. He turned to look at me again.

"I agreed to look after you," he said. "I know I said this before, but be careful."

I nodded silently. We all turned our attention back to the TV, trying to ignore the heavy atmosphere.

"And now, our weather forecast," the weather lady on the screen said. "Due to high-pressure fronts from the west, that sunny spring-like weather will stay with us for a while longer."

While I wouldn't have called the weather that day '_sunny' _by any stretch of the imagination, I sighed with relief. We still had some time to save Yukiko. Nobody at the table saw or heard this.

"Is this lady the one who decides the weather?" Nanako asked curiously. I looked at her just as curiously, wondering what prompted such a question. "'Cause when she says that it'll be sunny, it always is..."

"Uh, she's not really deciding it..." Dojima said with a noticeable chuckle in his voice.

"There's only two things in this world that can decide the weather," I told her. "Nature, and witches."

Both Dojima and Nanako looked at me curiously. Many curious looks were thrown around that dinner time.

"Witches...?" Nanako asked, tilting her head a little.

"Witches can control nature," I explained to her. "Since they control nature, they can control the weather. It only makes sense."

"Ah!" Nanako let out. "So if a witch says they'll make it sunny, they can?"

"Yeah," I replied, nodding my head. "They can make it sunny, rain, hail, snow. They can do anything. All thanks to their magic."

Nanako stared at me for a few seconds before a smile graced her lips. And then, she giggled uncontrollably.

"You're weird!" she said suddenly.

"I am _not_!" I yelled, feigning hurt over her comment. That only served to make her laugh more.

"Alright, you two, there's no need to argue," Dojima said amusedly. "You'll spoil the food."

Looking down at my half-eaten dinner, I realised how hungry I was still. Glancing back and forth between Dojima and Nanako, I grabbed an extra portion of chicken from the middle of the table and placed it on my plate. Noticing this, Dojima chuckled.

Dinner from that moment forth was pretty relaxed. Nanako and I had a playful argument about the existence of witches and magic. I didn't know whether or not Nanako knew that magic _is _real, and that there _are _witches in this world. She's an honest girl, however. If she knew that to be the truth, she wouldn't try to hide it or lie about it.

That was proof that she knew nothing of the world of magic. Dojima seemed to have kept her in the dark regarding that.

An hour later and we were watching TV. I can't remember what was on, I think it was some sort of game show but it wasn't that important. Nanako, Dojima and I were sitting there, watching what was going on. My mind was occupied with other things though. Like the shrine I had visited earlier on in the day.

"...Uncle," I called out. "Do you know anything about the shrine that's at the shopping district?"

"The shrine?" Dojima asked. His attention was drawn from the TV to me. "You're talking about Tatsuhime Shrine, right? It's been there for a long time now, though it hasn't been visited a lot in recent days. It is used for festivals and the like, but nothing beyond that."

"Have there been any rumours of spirits appearing there?"

"Hmm... None that I can recall. Why do you ask?"

"No reason. I just thought I saw something when I visited the shrine today. I wanted to know more about it anyway."

"I see."

We went back to watching TV. I didn't bring up the topic again that night.

I went back to my room a little while later. Believe it or not, I _still _hadn't unpacked everything. Having some free time, I decided to remedy that. I didn't have a lot of things I brought with me. Clothes, books. There wasn't a lot I had back when I was with mother, so it didn't take me long to unpack. There wasn't a lot for me to do, so I decided to read one of the books I had started reading before I made my way to Inaba.

Laying on the futon, I flipped through page after page as I read, letting my imagination build the kind of world that the author is describing. It was a story set on a war-torn Earth. Aliens called Mimics invade and the main character dies on the battlefield. Only to find himself alive again. He repeats that same day whenever he dies over and over. On the 158th time, he discovers something different.

It was a fascinating tale and it was one that I was easily drawn into. The interactions between the two main characters, as the only people who know about the time loops, was fun to read. And some of the deaths of the main character was, quite honestly, very comical. I had almost finished it when I just so happened to glance at the clock.

_Twenty to midnight? Ahh, I did it again, didn't I?_

Once I started reading, it was difficult to stop. I placed a bookmark at the page I was at and set it down. I didn't want to stay up too late and risk oversleeping. I stared up at the ceiling.

_Can't help but wonder if I really did see something at the shrine... I shouldn't be thinking about this right now. It'll only be a distraction. I can look into this after we've rescued Yukiko... You're wrong, you bastard. I'm not cursed._

Images flashed in my mind. Of a crowded street, looking at a fire. Caused by an explosion. The smoke rose to the sky. And at the centre of it was...

I shook my head, forcing those images to vanish. It was yet another distraction. I turned my body so I was facing the wall. Though it was difficult at first, I eventually fell asleep.

_I hope this ends soon..._

* * *

~ _**Author's Note**_~

A very calm chapter for today. The action should pick up soon though as we delve back into Yukiko's Castle. And for people coming in from _The Alternity Paradox _and who haven't read any of my other stories... Boy, are you in for a surprise.

The way I write action scenes is quite different from my friend and co-author, as you probably can tell. If you don't know what I mean, you'll find out soon.


	12. Chapter X

~ _**Chapter X: Castle of Dreams (II) / Flames of Rebirth **_~

Monday morning. Despite the grey skies that were predominant the day before, the sun was shining bright in the sky.

_Looks like the forecast was right._

"Yo!"

I stopped and turned around. Yosuke was riding his bike, which was still rather shaky-looking. He stopped when he caught up to me.

"How's Chie doing?" I asked him. He was smiling so it was a good sign.

"She phoned this morning," he explained. "She sounded fine. Actually, she sounds a lot happier than usual. I think confronting her Shadow has taken a lot of stress off of her. Have to admit, I felt the same way when I got my Persona."

We continued walking down the street.

"...By the way, I've been thinking about this ever since you brought it up back in the TV world. How Satonaka was vulnerable because she didn't have a Persona," he said suddenly.

"Yeah? What about it?" I asked, wondering where he was going with this.

"Even though you have that book, you don't _really _have a Persona of your own, do you? Doesn't that make you just as vulnerable."

"Hmm... That's a good point," I said. I never really thought about it because I never really had to worry about my Shadow appearing. Back in that city, that other realm seemed to be focused on one person in particular. The TV world on the other hand... It was quite intent on drawing out the inner darkness of those who enter it. And I had my own fair share of issues.

"I don't think I have to worry about that though." Even if that world could summon the Shadows of the people in it, I doubted that _I _would encounter my own Shadow. "My mother always said that I was _'special'_, whatever that means."

"All mothers say that though," Yosuke pointed out amusedly.

"Well, my family isn't normal. We're involved in a world that you guys kinda got dragged into... Sorry about that."

"Huh?" Yosuke looked confused. "Why are you apologising? Satonaka and I got involved of our own volition. We can't exactly blame you for that."

"But..."

"...So what exactly can we expect in there? You fought those things before. What were they like?"

"Oh, there are so many ways I can describe them. Disgusting, repulsive, repugnant, unrelenting, monstrous and just buttholes in general. They won't be easy to take down."

"With that insta-kill move of yours, it'll be a breeze!" Yosuke declared confidently. I wasn't as confident as he was about the situation.

"There's something I have to say about that actually. I won't use that ability unless it's absolutely necessary." I told Yosuke sternly, making it clear that I wouldn't do something that dangerous unless we absolutely could not win without it. Contrary to what I was expecting, he agreed with me.

"After seeing what it did to you the first time around, I have to agree," Yosuke said, nodding his head. "Even if it's the easiest way to win, don't force yourself to use it. I was more joking around than anything."

I was a little stunned to hear someone agree with me that quickly on something that clearly posed a risk. Past experience has taught me that people aren't normally that agreeable, especially when it came to forces that were beyond their comprehension.

"You alright?" Yosuke asked.

"Oh, y-yeah, I'm alright," I said, rubbing the back of my neck. "In any case, we should go back into the TV world soon. It's a clear path straight to Yukiko-san, so we shouldn't have any problems getting to her."

"How do you know?"

I simply gave him a neutral look. He quickly caught on.

"Ah... The thing that's in there..."

"Yeah... I don't expect it to make its move until we're weakened. Meaning, after our fight with Yukiko's Shadow."

"So do we have a plan this time?" Yosuke asked, smiling. I kinda got the feeling that he was making fun of me a little, but I answered him regardless.

"Beat it as fast as possible. Hopefully without any major hiccups."

"Short, sweet, simple. I like it." Yosuke nodded. "...Starting to think that power of yours would come in handy for that."

"Don't start this conversation up again," I said completely deadpan. Yosuke laughed.

"Anyway, when do you think we should go back?"

"Hmm..." I tapped my chin in thought for a while before I had an answer for him. "I say a few days from now. Make sure that Chie's at 100% before we do anything crazy."

"Yeah. I think we're both up for it but we should wait until Satonaka's feeling better. I mean, it took me a few days to recover so I don't expect her to be any different."

~ Book of Souls ~

"Today?!"

It was after-school. There wasn't anything major to note about the rest of the day, but a few minutes after the final bell rang, Yosuke and I heard something completely crazy. Well, not so much crazy. It was more completely and totally unexpected.

Chie was standing in front of us, looking fired up and stronger than ever.

"You have stones in your ears?" Chie asked a little forcefully. "I did say today. We should go and rescue Yukiko _today_."

We stood there, staring at her in disbelief, wondering just how she managed to recover so quickly. Yosuke refused to believe that she was at her best.

"Satonaka, you just got your Persona. We should wait a few days just to—"

"I'll be fine. I'm feeling better than ever. We can't afford to waste much time here. The sooner we get her out the better."

I was more than a little hesitant. While I agreed that getting Yukiko out of that place as fast as possible would be nice, I was doubtful whether or not Chie truly was 100% better.

"...It's your call, Leader," Yosuke said, passing the buck to me. I was expecting this and was already in deep thought. Eventually, I looked up at Chie.

"You sure?"

Chie nodded.

"Yes."

"...Alright. We go in, get Yukiko, get out. I don't expect us to get into any actual combat until we reach the throne room, so I think she can handle that much."

"Thanks, Narukami," Chie said and sighed in relief.

"If we find something that's too strong for us to handle though, we're running," I warned them. "Nobody try to be a hero in there."

"Don't have to tell us twice," Yosuke said.

~ Book of Souls ~

We made our way to Junes quickly. With any luck we should be out of there within two hours, so realistically it'll take around three. We stood in front of the portal to the TV world.

"Before we go in," I said suddenly, catching their attention, "there's something I have to tell you."

They turned to look at me, showing that they were listening.

"You remember what I said about the thing that's in the castle yesterday?"

They both nodded.

"Well, you have to act like you don't know it's there," I warned them.

"What?" Yosuke asked. "Why?"

"Because it's following us, and it doesn't seem to be aware that we know it's there. If it _does _become aware of this fact—"

"It'll attack. Right?" Chie finished my sentence. I nodded.

"Yes. And we're poorly equipped to deal with it. I doubt we can harm it that easily, judging by the chill that goes down my spine every time I think about it..." I shook my head. "In any case, just focus on getting Yukiko out of the castle. Don't think about anything else."

"Easier said than done," Yosuke pointed out as we entered the TV world. Teddie was there, waiting for us as always. He saw us and waddled over to where we stood.

"You all got back here quickly!" He seemed surprised by our arrival. "Is Chie-chan feeling better?"

Chie punched her open palm with her fist.

"Yup. We're ready to go in and get Yukiko," she told him, sounding determined.

"Do you wanna go there right now?" Teddie asked, smiling as always. We all nodded in affirmation.

Teddie led us into the depths of the TV world, making our way to the castle that Yukiko was in. I was walking beside Teddie for the duration of the trip and took the opportunity to ask him something that had been on my mind.

"Hey, Teddie. Did anything happen while we were gone?"

"Mm-mmm," he let out, shaking his head. "It's been quiet ever since you left. Nothing really happened."

"I see..."

It took around... I want to say thirty minutes, but the way time flows in that world was a little strange, so I couldn't say for certain. Anyway, some time later we made it to the front door of Yukiko's castle. It was still ominous. The statues were still overlooking the pathway like they were watching us. And the red sky still hung over it, making it look more demonic than it really was.

"I don't think I'll ever get used to that," Yosuke said somewhat nervously.

"Be afraid of the day you do," I told him calmly. "A life where nothing can surprise you would be a very boring one."

"Eh? You sound like you speak from experience, Narukami," Yosuke pointed out. He was half right about that. I shrugged my shoulders.

"I've seen quite a lot in my short time on this blue ball called Earth. I don't think much can surprise me at this point."

In the brief second after I said that, I immediately knew that I would regret saying those words. In fact, as we were walking into the castle, I started to shout at myself for saying something so rash.

_I shouldn't have said that. I should __**not **__have said that. I shouldn't have said that._

We walked into the castle and entered the first floor. The layout was extremely similar to the last time we were in there. In fact, I think it was exactly the same. We didn't waste any time and started to carefully make our way through the castle, but going a little faster than before.

"Yup, still creepy," Yosuke said as we walked. "At least the layout's the same. We know where to go for the first two floors. After that... Well, I don't have a clue."

"I wouldn't be too sure," I told him. "Some things about this floor is different. For example, the door to the armoury is missing."

We walked past the spot where a door used to be. It was gone now, vanished without a trace. It was like it was never there. From the corner of my eye, I saw Yosuke starting to turn his head.

"Do not make eye contact," I warned him, bringing his attention back to what was in front of him quickly. He got the message without me telling him. It was too risky to say anything about the creature that was following us out loud, so we had to rely on more subtle means of communication. "Teddie, do you happen to remember the layout of the floor?"

Teddie nodded.

"Yeah, I can lead you to the second floor."

We followed Teddie's lead like before and we quickly found the staircase that lead up to the second floor.

"Funny," Yosuke said as we ascended. "Could have sworn it took us a lot longer to get here last time."

"Well, this time we know where to go," I pointed out. "I still don't like that we haven't seen anything yet though."

We walked through the room that we encountered Chie's Shadow in and through the door. All we found was more corridors. We quickly found the staircase that lead to the third floor and, big shocker, more corridors. Seeing the same pattern go on for long stretches of time could become quite tiring after a while. Everyone else shared that sentiment.

"You have any idea how much longer this place goes, Ted?" Yosuke asked, starting to show some signs of exhaustion. The floors were much bigger than we originally thought they were going to be. While the first floor was quite short now that we knew where we were going, the subsequent floors seemed to be much longer. We had to open doors and check every single room just to find the staircase that lead to the next floor, and then the pattern would repeat itself again and again.

That's what I thought would occur, but Teddie had some good news for us.

"As far as I can tell, there's only one more floor: the Throne Room, and a staircase that's hidden behind the throne itself that leads into a tower."

"How can you tell all of that?" Chie asked, a little shocked at the amount of detail Teddie was describing. "Can you see into the room?"

"Of course I can't," Teddie said, using the same joyful tone he usually speaks with. "I just use my nose. I'm a grizzly bear, so I track things through scent."

While I was sure that bears noses don't give them the power to see into other rooms—not to mention the questionable description of himself—I wouldn't look a gift horse in the mouth. So I kept my mouth shut about it.

"Do you guys want to take a quick break before we go to the throne room?" I asked them. "I think that We're gonna need all the energy we can muster for this fight."

With a quick nod, we stopped at the next room and entered. Empty. Like all the other rooms we looked through. It was so disconcerting that we hadn't seen any Shadows, or hell, any treasure to loot. Eh... Never mind about that last part. If I knew that something other than Yukiko, Yukiko's Shadow and whatever the hell that thing I saw was was here, then I wouldn't be so worried.

If they had simply shown themselves as another enemy, then I wouldn't be that concerned. It's the ones that simply _watch_. And _wait_. You can never quite understand the creatures that simply watch. And wait. Wait for the slightest mistake.

It's even worse when you _know _something is watching, and following you, but you can't do a thing about it. Not without getting yourself killed.

We sat down against a wall to catch our breath. We were walking around for quite a while, and while I thought that we could go straight to Yukiko right now, it's better to be sure you're ready. I looked around the room. The same pattern that was prevalent in the corridors was a part of this room also. Indeed, all the rooms we went into were similar to this one. So there wasn't much to talk about in the way they looked.

Patterns that repeat themselves over and over eventually become predictable. There was a slight change in this pattern though. Something that one could easily overlook.

"Hey, look up there," Chie called out, pointing at a particular corner of the room. We turned to look in that direction and saw something that was out-of-place. A spider web was spun near the ceiling, at the far-left corner of the room. Whilst this wouldn't be out-of-place in a normal home, a spider web spun in the castle of a Shadow was something different. That wasn't all that was different about this particular web.

"It's golden," Yosuke pointed out. "A golden spider web... I guess this world's just full of surprises waiting for us."

"It's not that strange," I said to him in response. "If you're amazed by that, you should have seen some of the shit I saw a few years back. You would have probably shit your pants."

"You say that so casually!" Yosuke let out, sounding bewildered by the way I could talk about this sort of stuff.

"Hehehe..." Despite myself, I couldn't help but giggle a little. They were all so honest in their expressions and reactions. It was kinda endearing to me. I stared at the spider web intently, trying to see if there was anything off about it.

I knew full well where this web came from. It isn't so much that I found the web strange. It was the placement of the web. Why put it there? What's the point? To get our attention?

So many questions ran through me and I couldn't figure out any of the answers, not without knowing what it really was and not with the amount of information we currently had.

"You must have been fighting those things for a while," Chie pointed out, nodding her head and smiling. "I guess you're sort of a professional."

"That title isn't exactly very flattering," I addressed her, closing one eye. That got a giggle out of her. I stood up. "Well, let's not keep the Princess waiting, shall we?"

With a quick nod from everyone, we stood up and exited the room. I gave the spider web one last look before exiting. We made our down the corridor. We could see a door ahead of us and there were no others that were clearly visible. We passed by a few windows that gave us a pretty nice view of the outside. Well, if you consider red-tinted skies and broken buildings and a dreary atmosphere as a _'nice view'_. We stopped at the last one and looked out.

"Wow..." Yosuke let out. "How far do you think this goes?"

"No clue," I said. "Miles, probably."

"Has this world always been like this, Teddie?" Chie asked. Teddie's ever-present smile faltered a little as he thought on this question.

"...I don't know," he eventually said. "As long as I can remember, this world has always been like this. If it was any different before I appeared, I wouldn't know."

"Hmm..." I stared out at the wilderness that was the TV world. I wondered if this place had a proper name or not. I just added it to the ever growing list of questions that I would like answered someday. "We should keep moving."

We continued on, through the door that lead to the staircase and up the staircase itself. We came across a lavish door, different to the ones we encountered before. Golden handles and a gold pattern adorned the marble door. It was quite clear where this led to.

"The throne room's beyond this door," I said and looked at the others. "You all ready?"

I received nods from everyone.

"Let's get Yukiko back and get the hell out of this place," Chie said determinedly. With that, I opened the door.

~ Book of Souls ~

We rushed into the throne room. As I expected, the throne room itself was huge, and much more decorated than the corridors and rooms that came before it. We didn't have time to admire the scenery however.

"Yukiko!" Chie called out as soon as we got into the room. We stood on the red carpet that lead to a short set of stairs, leading to a platform that the throne rested on. In front of us was a sight that we were all expecting. Yukiko's Shadow stood upon the platform, leering down at the defenceless Yukiko, who still wore the kimono that I saw her in the last time I had spoken to her, on her knees. The Shadow turned her head to look at us.

"Oh?" Yukiko's Shadow let out in surprise before an amused smile appeared on her features. "Oooooh, what's this? _Three _princes are here to see me?! My my! Are you the surprise guests who came in late? Awwwww... I wish I'd gotten a better look at you when you first came into my castle." She took a step down the staircase. "My, it's getting crowded here. Why don't _you _and _I_ go somewhere else? A land far, far away, where no one knows me. If you're my Prince, you'd take me there, won't you? C'mon... pretty please?"

There was so much I could comment on, but I didn't even know where to start. I didn't know who she was talking to exactly, but the implications behind her words made me blush a little. It reminded me of someone I used to know. I shook my head to get rid of those unexpected memories and returned my focus back on what was in front of me.

"_'Three princes'_...?" Wait, is she talking about you and I as well, Narukami?" she asked me. I didn't have an answer for her.

"Duuuuhh!" Teddie protested. "It's obviously me!"

"I seriously doubt that," Yosuke said sarcastically, not taking his eyes off Yukiko's Shadow for a moment.

"Chie..." Shadow Yukiko let out a chuckle. "Yes, she's my Prince."

_Uh..._

I glanced at Chie. She looked as surprised as I thought she would be.

"She always leads the way... Chie's a strong prince. She's the only prince for me... Or at least, she _was_."

"_'Was'_...?" Chie asked, sounding confused and, if I wasn't mistaken, a little hurt.

"When it comes down to it, Chie's just not good enough!" Shadow Yukiko yelled, her expression changing from an amused smirk to an angry look. "She can't take me away from here! She can't save me!"

"Yukiko..." Chie said, I think more to herself than to the rest of us. Yukiko got to her feet shakily when her Shadow began to badmouth Chie.

"S-Stop..." she said desperately, but her Shadow ignored her.

"Historic inn? Manager training?! I'm sick of all these things chaining me down! I never asked to be born here! Everything's decided for me! From how I live, to where I die! I'm so sick of it! To hell with it all!"

"That's not true..." Yukiko said, trying to deny what was in her heart. Her Shadow smiled once more.

"I just want to go somewhere far away. _Anywhere _but _here_. Someone, please take me away. I can't leave here on my own. I'm completely useless."

"Stop... Please stop..."

"I have no hope if I stay, and no courage to leave. So I sit on my _ass _hoping that someday my Prince will come! I don't care where we go! Anywhere's fine! As long as it's not here, I don't give a damn! Historical tradition? Pride of the town? What a bunch of bullshit!"

"How dare you...?" Yukiko looked very weak. It took her most of her energy to stand up. So her protest didn't sound as forceful as it should have been.

"That's how I really feel. Isn't that right... _me_?!"

"N-No..."

We all knew what was coming. And we knew that we couldn't avoid a fight. My hand went to the handle of my knife. While I wouldn't be able to stop a confrontation, there was one way to make it easier for us.

"Stop! Don't say it!" Yosuke yelled, but it was futile.

"No! You're not—!"

A gust of wind brushed past everyone. Taking my knife out of the sheath, I ran past everyone with a speed that would make me seem like a blur to the eyes of others. Even an obstacle like the stairs posed little impedance on my goal. It happened in under two seconds. The Shadow was shocked to see me holding the knife against her throat. Everyone in the room fell silent.

"...I'm getting real tired of people's psychoanalysing bullshit," I said firmly. The Shadow looked at the knife, and then at me, and then... she laughed. It was an eerie, spine-chilling laugh. A laugh like that, coming from Yukiko's voice, was enough to send the room's temperature plummeting.

I dared not to look back at the others. Partly because of what I was doing, and partly because I wouldn't be able to look them in the eye. Even though it was staring her right in the face, I knew Yukiko wouldn't be able to accept her own self that easily. I had managed to stop the Shadow from going berserk... but I didn't have a plan for what would come afterwards.

I was desperate to stop a repeat of what happened with Yosuke. And I knew we wouldn't get lucky like with what happened with Chie and her Shadow. I thought that stopping it from going berserk would buy some time at least.

Hearing that laugh... it made me unsure. Unsure of what was going to happen next. For a moment, the thought that I had made a mistake crossed my mind.

"...Ku... Kihihihihihihihahahahahaha... You think you can stop me? Stop me from obtaining the freedom I seek?"

"One Yukiko will be leaving this castle. And it sure as hell won't be you."

The Shadow smiled. Her smile wasn't the soft, beautiful smile that the real Yukiko had. It was the smile of a creature that had one goal: destruction.

"I see... You're no prince. DIE, YOU WORTHLESS COMMONEEERRRR!"

A force like thunder pushed me back. No, it sent me soaring through the air and crashing into a concrete pillar.

"Narukami!"  
"Sensei!"

I heard Yosuke and Teddie call out at the same time. I was lucky I didn't hit my head, but I knew my back would be feeling that tomorrow. I looked up and saw Shadow Yukiko snap her fingers. From the dark ceiling, a cage fell down and enveloped Yukiko, who let out a surprised yelp. Trapped in this cage, it lifted itself off the floor and was left suspended in the air.

"Yukiko!" Chie called out in worry as the cage rose up.

"Chie!" Yukiko yelled, stretching her hand through the gap in the bars.

"Kihihihihihihi. I'll let my servants play with you for a while." As soon as those words left the Shadow's lips, a group of beastly Shadows appeared near the staircase. Shadows that looked like hounds. I never liked hounds. Most dogs I was okay with, but _hounds_... Something about them just scared me. When I got back on my feet, I made my feelings on them extremely clear.

"Guys... They will all die. Don't spare any of them."

"Got it!" Yosuke said as cards floated down in front of both him and Chie. "Let's go, Jiraiya!"

"Come to me, Tomoe!"

They both smashed their cards at the same time. The manifestations of their soul: Persona. They appeared behind them and were ready to fight. The hounds charged forward.

"Teddie!" I called out to him. He knew what I wanted from him. He opened up Grimoire Animus and shut it closed when he saw the card. Izanagi appeared from the ether and flew towards the Shadows alongside the other Personas. Their initial attacks killed the hounds that were near them, but some of them managed to slip through.

I saw Chie running to where the cage was. One of the hounds was near her and tried to slash at her.

"Out of my way!" She dodged and gave it a swift kick which sent it flying towards Tomoe, who cut it down with ease. As she got close, a sudden explosion of fire appeared near her and forced her to jump back. The Shadow, with her finger pointed in her direction, laughed once again.

"I don't think so, my _'Prince'_," Yukiko's Shadow said. "You'll stay right there."

"Hang in there, Yukiko!" Chie yelled. "I'll save you!"

"Oh really?" Shadow Yukiko responded. "In that case, I'll give you all plenty to deal with!"

A hound had managed to sink its teeth into my arm. I wasn't particularly pleased about that.

"Get off me!" I shook off the animal and cut its head off with a quick slash of my knife. It disappeared as I ran forward. There were only a few more hounds left. Two of them were charging towards me, but I wasn't worried about them. Izanagi cut through the two whilst they were jumping for me, granting me a clear path to Shadow Yukiko.

From the corner of my eye, I saw a sudden red line appear from the left hand side of the room all the way to the right. At the speed I was going at, I would have been right in its path. Sensing danger, I stopped and jumped back. A wall of fire burst up from the ground, blocking our path for a moment before it vanished. The carpet that we had stood on when we first entered the room was starting to catch fire.

_Crap, that isn't good._

Before the fire could spread any further, an ice spell was cast and put out the flames. I looked and saw Tomoe with her hand out. She quickly went back to the few hounds that were attacking her, dodging their quick attacks and striking them.

"We gotta get Yukiko out of there!" Chie yelled, kicking a hound that was aiming to attack her torso. I agreed but I didn't know how we were going to do that if we couldn't even get close to the Shadow. Even when not berserk, Greater Shadows such as these were still very powerful. There was also the matter of what was attacking us.

"We have to get rid of these things first!" I yelled back. "Yosuke, could use a little backup here!"

"Got it!" Yosuke ran over, slashing at a hound as it passed by with his kunai. Jiraiya followed him, using a wind spell to blast the Shadows that were near me into a pillar. They disappeared. I kept my knife ready as the four hounds that remained walked towards us. Chie had ran to us, her side of the room clear.

"What do we do?" Yosuke asked, his kunai raised.

"If I could get near her, this would be over quickly," I said firmly, watching the Shadows carefully.

"If that's all you need, then you make a break for it," Chie said. "We'll take care of these ones."

"...Alright," I agreed quickly. It was a decent plan and we didn't have much time to come up with another. "On my word..."

I watched for the opportunity I needed.

_Steady... Steady..._

When I saw the closest hound stop for a moment, I made my move.

"GO!"

I ran. Jiraiya made the first attack, blowing them out of my path. Tomoe made the second, encasing the hounds in ice and preventing them from getting back up. With the way to Shadow Yukiko cleared, I charged, avoiding the pillars of fire that sprang up from the ground. Something was off though. Despite the sheer death that was coming for her, Shadow Yukiko was still smiling. It didn't take me long to discover why.

From seemingly out of nowhere, a sword that was more like a slab of iron swung down and would have split my head in two had I been a little faster. As it was, it only struck the ground. The impact and the gust of wind that hit me was strong enough to send me flying back and landing on the ground harshly.

"Hey! That sword compensating for... some..." I looked up as I said it, and all the snark disappeared from my voice. The one wielding the sword was a giant black set of animated armour, with a golden light seeping from the helmet's visor. I had no wit for this. I had no clever retort. "I am so scared I can't even finish my lame joke."

"I've grown bored of playing with you commoners," Shadow Yukiko said with obvious disdain. "Oh, my precious knight. Would you be a dear and kill them for me?"

I quickly got back to my feet as the Shadow moved. Each of its steps shook the room. It was much, much taller than us. It was also much, much more powerful. It was just a feeling, but I thought to myself that we were going to have some trouble with it.

"Uh, what do we do about _that_?" Yosuke asked, sounding just a little bit frightened.

"It's... uh... quite big," Chie said, her voice shaky. And while I was just as apprehensive about fighting that thing as they were, I knew that we had no choice and tried to keep a calm voice.

"I've fought bigger," I told them. They looked at me with disbelief etched on their expressions.

"Seriously?" Yosuke asked. I nodded.

"Does it get any easier?" Chie asked.

"Nope," I replied surely, shaking my head.

"Does it get any better?" Yosuke asked.

"Depends on your definition of _'better'_."

The sword was raised above the Shadow's head.

"Out of the way!"

We all broke off and scattered in different directions as the sword collided with the marble floor. Chunks of the marble shot up and large cracks were beginning to form on other parts of the floor. The Shadow turned to its left and looked at me.

_Great. It seems like __**I'm**__ its target._

The Shadow swung the sword in a horizontal slice. It aimed for my head. Seeing this coming, I ducked out of the way. The sword cut through the pillar that I was standing behind. With the amount of pillars supporting this room, one missing wouldn't be enough to make it collapse. If it was two or three more, then I would have been worried.

The Shadow Knight turned around and walked towards Chie. For a moment, I wondered why it was walking away. Something was wrong, and I didn't like it. I glanced at my feet and saw a red spark for a moment.

_Ah. That's why._

I jumped out of the way as an explosion burst out of the spot where I was standing. Shadow Yukiko was still near her throne. With a simple flick of her hand, or a point of her finger, she was able to target anyone in the room. She had us dancing around the room like puppets on a string, being moved around at her own whim.

The Shadow Knight tried to attack Chie, but she was much faster than the Knight. Not surprising, considering the difference in size. She wasn't fast enough to avoid the powerful gust that resulted in the strike and was knocked back into a pillar, along with her Persona that disappeared as Chie fell to the ground.

"Chie!" I heard Yukiko yell out. The cage up above rattled as Yukiko tried to break free, desperate to help her friend in any way she can. The Shadow looked up amusedly.

"Impatient, aren't we? I'll get to _you _soon enough. I think it's time we wrapped this up." She pointed a finger and two fast bursts of fire, thin and razor sharp, cuts through two different parts of the pillar nearest her and broke it apart. The large piece of stone fell to the ground and the Shadow Knight walked over to where it was.

Making its sword disappear into the air, the Knight picked up the slab of stone and held it up above him.I knew what it was about to do.

_Shit!_

I watched where it was aiming and saw that if I didn't do something, it would hit both Chie and Yosuke, crushing them both. I had but a few seconds.

"Teddie!" I called out to him, a pointed look in my eyes. He understood what I needed. He still held the katana. He threw it to me. I caught it easily in my hand and started running. When I got close to where Chie and Yosuke where, the Knight threw the stone in his hands. I brought out the katana, dropping the sheath, and held it in both hands.

_Vis Vires, Scindo, Anima!_

I saw it. The thread that composed this stone's existence, and with a single slice, I cut though it. The stone wouldn't have so much as buckled normally. I'm sure the sword would have shattered under normal circumstances if I had tried this. With these eyes that could determine the life and death of all things however, that stone might has well have been paper.

The stone was cut in two and the unexpected weight of my impossible strike sent the pieces flying up into two different directions. The sound of glass shattering and stone breaking apart reached our ears as the stone pillar broke apart the windows of the room.

"What?!"

I couldn't tell who was more surprised. The Shadow or the people behind me who were saved by this power. I raised my head a little. I saw the threads on each section of the armour of the Shadow and a few threads on Shadow Yukiko.

_So each section of the armour is its own entity, with the head connecting them all. This makes things a little simpler._

I heard growling from behind us. More hounds had made their appearance.

"...Keep them off me," I told the people behind me. "I'll take care of these ones."

"You got it," Yosuke said. I charged forward, not looking behind me as I trusted them to take care of themselves. The Shadow Knight had summoned its sword as I made my way closer to it. The sword itself had a thread I could cut through, but that wasn't my goal. I aimed to cut off the head, but I needed to get there.

The Shadow struck, swinging its sword in an overhead arc. I stepped off to the side, well out of the way of its attack and kept moving. With a single slash, I cut through the left leg. The armour broke apart and the Shadow was knocked off balance. My momentum carried me behind the Shadow. Not taking any chances, I rushed forward and attacked the right leg. It fell forward, but it used its sword to keep itself upright, stabbing it into the ground and holding onto the handle.

I knew where my goal was, and I would take any possible path to get there. And thus, I climbed the armour itself, using the gaps as footholds. I reached the head in a few seconds and with a single slice, I cut the thread that made up the helmet. With the core of the Shadow destroyed, the rest of the armour fell apart.

I jumped off the Shadow's back, landing on my feet. I turned to my next target. I saw Shadow Yukiko burn the tapestry behind the throne, which revealed a staircase. She ran up it.

"Oh no you don't! You aren't getting away!"

I ran after the Shadow, leaving the others behind. The staircase was long and led to the outside. I didn't watch what was around me, focusing entirely on the escaping Shadow. At the top of this staircase was a tower. It was quite small, so it wouldn't have anywhere to run to once it got there. I didn't know what was in it, so I knew I had to be careful while entering it.

I reached the top. The Shadow reached the top before me and left the door open. It knew I was chasing it and seemed to expect a confrontation. I entered the tower carefully, katana at the ready. A small corridor greeted me before it expanded into a big bedroom. The sight of the tower from the outside was deceptive and didn't give away just how big the room was.

It was very luxurious. Just like I would expect from the bedroom of a princess. I couldn't stop to admire the grandiose room however. There was still a threat. A threat that made itself known very quickly.

I looked to my left and saw a figure aiming to strike with fire. I moved my sword to counter and blocked the attack. Shadow Yukiko used her hands along with fire magic to strike. Meaning that she had long range and close range attacks that she can switch to at any time. I could only strike up close, so that limited what I could do.

I had the advantage up close, but the Shadow's unnatural speed more than made up for it. I liked to consider myself pretty fast with a katana. Faster than the average person, but the Shadow's were not humans at all. Even if they looked human, they were powerful beasts. This one was no different.

It kept me on my toes, constantly on the defensive. The sound of steel colliding with magic was an unnatural one. It almost sounded like a bell, but much less focused. I jumped back, noticing that the steel of my blade was starting to glow red from the intense heat.

_I can't keep this up without it breaking. Think!_ _I can see the threads. If I can make it lose focus for a second..._

That wouldn't be easy. Shadow Yukiko and I were the only people in the room. There was nothing for her to focus on besides me.

Shadow Yukiko raised a finger. I knew this attack well enough already. It had used this attack many times before this point and I knew what it would do. I ran. Pinpoint strikes fired in my direction, the decoration, tables, fine china and other parts of the room were destroyed by these spells. They were too fast for me to cut down, and I knew I couldn't outrun them forever.

When I had to stop, three of the bullet-like attacks managed to graze my shoulder, left arm and cheek. It wasn't deep enough to cause any serious wounds, but they still bled regardless. It also stung a little. I tried to run forward, but a blast on the path I was running towards stopped that plan.

I was trapped. Shadow Yukiko kept a finger trained on me. If I moved even an inch, she would fire. This strike would be fatal.

_Shit... What do I do now...?_

"Hehehehe...Trapped like a rat. You do realise that you can't get away this time, my Prince."

Despite the situation I was in, I smiled.

"I'm no Prince," I told her.

"Indeed. You aren't a Prince. You're nothing but a worthless fox. Something to be hunted down."

"Hey hey hey! What've you got against foxes? And has anyone ever told you that dress is really, uh... gaudy?"

"Fuhuhuhu. You're a funny woman. It's such a shame I have to kill you. You would have made a fine part of my harem."

She was now in front of me, her finger pointed at my face.

"I'm pretty sure this isn't a harem story, though I've read plenty of those. So many light novels are harem stories it's ridiculous. It's not exactly a bad thing though."

"...Answer one question. Your eyes... What are they?"

It was an order, not a request. It was either explain what they were or die. Well, I would die either way, but answering would just delay it a little.

"Now, before I answer that, let me give you a piece of advice. Just a tiny bit of advice."

I made my move. While she was distracted with talking to me, I used the blunt side of my sword to knock her hand out of the way. She still managed to fire but it was nowhere near me.

"Never let me talk!" I swung my blade, but it dodged out of the way. I was able to move out of that spot and gain some momentum back. It fired several fire spells but I was able to move out of the way of them very easily. I got in close and swung my sword quickly. The Shadow barely kept up with my movements, blocking them with her fire-coated hands which helped deflect the blade.

Shadow Yukiko jumped back and threw a fireball at me. I managed to slice it, but at a cost. The blade of the katana shattered on impact. I had taken too long and now one of my weapons was destroyed.

_Dammit...!_

"Kihihihihi. Now your sword is gone. Time to end this!"

Shadow Yukiko prepared a massive Agi spell. One that was sure to bring down the tower, along with me and her. No. She was close to the door. She could easily escape as soon as she threw it. Which meant that this was my last chance. My last attack of the fight. If I couldn't kill her with this move, then it was over.

I brought out my knife. I wondered how I was going to get close enough to attack. And then, something caught my eye. Something within the flame itself. Something that I wouldn't have saw normally because it went by too fast for me to notice. A thread. A single thread at the centre of the fire.

_...That's it._

I knew what I needed to do. I knew the risks. I prepared myself, knife at the ready. I needed to move slightly after she made her attack. Only then would I be able to capitalise on this moment. A few tense seconds passed. I wondered what the Shadow was thinking. It didn't know that death was coming for it and these next few seconds would prove its downfall.

The spell was thrown, and I ran. I raised the knife as I ran forward. The second before it hit me, I brought it down. The fire instantly dissipated the moment I cut its thread.

"What?!"

The Shadow was stunned, and in that moment of hesitation, it knew that it would die. Seeing the thread, I attacked. There was a moment of silence that hung in the air.

_...I missed._

The impact was strong enough to mortally wound the Shadow, but I knew that it would still be able to keep going. I looked behind me. A black mist began to rise from the Shadow as it staggered forward.

"Gwah...! Too fast... Too strong... You're not human... What... are you?"

"...Everything in creation has a flaw. A thread of life that holds it together. Humans don't even need to be mentioned. The trees. The earth. Even time and space. My eyes can see the death of all things. This is the power I was given."

"You...!"

"As long as I have these eyes, I can kill anything. Even if it's a god."

"YOU BIT—"

I didn't miss that time. I slashed the thread I saw on her in two, and the Shadow disappeared. I allowed myself to breathe a little after everything that went down. I looked down at my arm that was cut. I could see the blood dripping down off my hand.

_...Not gonna be able to hide that._

I walked out of the room and headed down the long staircase, back into the throne room. I knew that the Shadow won't be down for long. It wouldn't be gone until it was accepted. The throne room was empty, except for Chie, Yukiko and Yosuke. I sighed in relief.

"You guys okay?" I called out as I walked towards them. They all turned to look at me.

"Narukami, you're hurt!" Yukiko yelled with worry. I shrugged my shoulders.

"It's just a scratch. Nothing to worry about. More importantly, are you okay? Are you hurt?"

Yukiko shook her head.

"Good."

Yukiko's eyes widened as she looked behind me. I had a good feeling as to why. I turned around also. Standing there, staring at her impassively, was her Shadow.

"No... I'm not..."

"We understand," Yosuke said before she could say any more. "You're not the only one like that, Yukiko-san."

"Everyone has something they can't show to other people, or don't want to admit to themselves," I added on, my voice softer than it was a few minutes ago.

"...Yukiko... I'm so sorry," Chie told her, sounding on the verge of tears. "I was so self-centred that... I never understood what you were going through... I... and I still... I'm so sorry..."

"Chie..."

"I was always jealous of you, Yukiko. You had everything that I didn't... That jealously was like a wall, and I was so lonely...! I wanted you to need me... But it was me who needed you. I can't do anything right on my own. I've caused so much trouble for Yuka and the others. If you weren't by my side, I... I wouldn't know what to do..."

Chie rubbed her face with her sleeve. I could only assume that she actually was crying by this point.

"Chie..." Yukiko looked at her with a guilty expression. "I never saw the real you either. I was too busy trying to find an easy way out." She looked at her Shadow for a moment and then walked towards it. "_'I want to run away'_. _'I want someone to save me'_... You're right. Those feelings are a part of me too. I understand now... You're me."

Shadow Yukiko smiled. A genuine smile. Not the smile that she had when our fight started. She disappeared and a card floated down from the sky. Yukiko had earned her Persona. She fell to her knees.

"Yukiko!" Chie yelled out.

"Are you okay?!" Yosuke asked as we rushed over to her.

"Yes, I'm just a little tired..." Yukiko replied. She then let out a smile. "You all came to rescue me...?"

"Of course!" Chie said, smiling as well. Yukiko turned her head to face Chie.

"Thank you..." she said softly. Chie got down on her knees also and gave Yukiko a hug.

"Don't even mention it. I'm just so glad you're safe."

"Hehe... Right on," Yosuke said with a bit of relief in his tone. Teddie walked past me.

"So, who threw you in here?" he asked Yukiko, who was quite perturbed to see a talking bear.

"Huh...? Who are you? Rather... What are you?"

"I'm Teddie! So, who threw you in?"

"...I don't know..." Yukiko said, sounding apologetic. "I think... someone called my name... But my memory's a blur. I can't remember who it was. I'm sorry, um... Teddie."

Teddie sighed.

"No new clues..."

"Not necessarily," I countered. "We know for sure that someone threw Yukiko in here now."

"Anyways, let's hurry back home. Yukiko looks exhausted..." Chie said, helping said Yukiko to her feet... Something was off. The air suddenly became thinner and a chill went down my spine. A familiar one.

"Wait," I said. "...Something's not right... Something's here..."

Yosuke looked around the room. He had the same feeling I did.

_Of all the times, why now?!_

I expected it. I even told them as such. I had hoped beyond hope that maybe we would be able to escape this encounter. Fate seemed to have different plans in mind however.

The room suddenly lost nearly all its light. Leaving the room in near darkness.

* * *

~ _**Author's Note **_~

Cliffhanger! I certainly do hope you're ready for what's coming. We have one new theme today, and it's Yuka's Theme. You can find it in my Profile page under Character Themes for the Book of Souls section of the Soundtrack List. I imagine it playing when Yuka busts out the Demon's Eyes, just for extra awesome. I hope you've enjoyed this chapter and I hope to see you for the next one.


	13. Chapter XI

~ _**Chapter XI: Web of Destruction **_~

The room went dark. It wasn't so dark that we couldn't see our surroundings, but the light that was provided to us by the candles was extinguished. Yosuke and I looked around, having an idea of what was there but we couldn't be sure _where _this creature was. Chie and Yukiko kept close together, Chie watching over Yukiko protectively.

We were all rooted on the spot. We couldn't figure out where it was, so even taking a simple step was a huge risk to us.

"What's going on?" Yosuke asked, trying his best to remain calm. "What's there?"

"I'll tell you what it isn't: good," I replied. While we couldn't see what was going on around the room, I was certain that whatever blew out the candles was in the room with us. Stalking us. Hunting us like prey. In that respect, we had to be extremely careful about how we moved if we wanted to get out of the castle.

I looked around once more, this time gauging what kind of position we were in. Directly in the middle, outside of the darker parts of the room. The door was directly behind us, but the path back to the entrance wouldn't be easy to navigate.

"...Yukiko-san, can you walk?" I asked her carefully, making sure to keep my eyes on the dark corners.

"Y-Yes," she replied immediately. "If I have to, I can run."

_That makes things somewhat easier..._

A soft sound, almost unnoticeable, reached my ears. It sounded like a soft hiss, but there was no way I could miss it.

"You hear that?" I asked, ready to run.

"Hear what?" he asked, his voice almost at whisper volume now.

From the corner of my eye I saw a flash of colour. Gold. A web of gold was spun throughout the room. It cut off our escape path, which caused a bit of an issue. It would be easy to get through though. _That's _what I wasn't worried about.

Tick... Tick... Tick...

The soft ticking sound of metal meeting marble. In the silence of that room, and the fear that lingered in the air, that sound was deafening. It was also getting closer. Whatever hid in the darkness was coming into what light was left. Eventually... we saw it.

The creature that stalked us throughout our time in the castle. The creature that spun the golden web we saw on our way here. The kind of creature that watches... was what I thought it would be. A silver, mechanical spider. It had nothing resembling a face but I could feel it looking at us. My breathing grew thinner and my heart was beating wildly. Something about this creature made me feel uneasy... Actually, I was terrified of what we were seeing.

The spider continued its slow walk towards us. I was torn between watching it and telling the others to make a break for it. As it was, I wasn't sure. I only had a knife as a weapon I could use on short notice. I also had the Demon's Eyes. I could fight the creature if I had to. The spider stopped suddenly. I wondered what this creature was up to. It looked slow, but I couldn't judge it based on a first impression.

That suspicion turned out to be justified. The spider suddenly vanished with a burst of speed. My eyes widened and my hand immediately went to my knife. My instincts told me that danger was nearby and that I needed to move from that spot. I jumped as something struck the ground. A golden web shot down from the ceiling and landed in the spot I was just on.

I wasn't safe yet. I could hear two more hisses from above and I moved back as two more threads penetrated the ground. I knew when I saw it. Those threads would have cut me in half if they had managed to find purchase.

That was the moment that Yosuke decided that we needed to get out of that place. And _now_. As the spider attacked me, he summoned his Persona, Jiraiya, and cut open the web that blocked the entrance.

"We need to get out of here!" he yelled. He knew the dangers of staying there. He knew that we couldn't fight it. He managed to help Chie, Yukiko and Teddie get out of the room as I looked up. The spider dropped down, and I was fortunate enough to get out of the way in time. I created some distance between me and it and activated my Demon's Eyes.

I waited for the smoke to clear so I could see the threads on it, to take care of this threat... I didn't anticipate what I would discover when I looked at this spider with these eyes. When the metal spider came within full view, bursts of static filled my vision and prevented me from seeing properly. What's more, is that the spider had _no _threads.

This... _thing_... couldn't be killed by these eyes. The eyes that could see the threads of life on any human, animal, plant—even buildings could be destroyed with a single slice... And yet with this mechanical spider, these eyes failed me.

_What... What is this thing...?_

My eyes shook as I stared at this creature, unable to comprehend what it was. I had to return my eyes to normal. I couldn't stand seeing all that static for more than a few seconds. That's when I knew we had to run.

"Run!" I yelled as I ran to the open door. There was no way we could fight it. Not without knowing what it was and what we could do. Using the Demon's Eyes was out, and we couldn't start another fight. Not after the fight with Shadow Yukiko. And so, we ran. Yosuke's Persona provided some cover for us as we sprinted down the corridors. We managed to get to the floor below without any difficulty. It was the next few floors that were going to give us the most trouble.

We continued to run down the straight corridor until we reached an intersection. It looped around in a square, so taking either pathway would have led us to where we needed to go. We were planning to go in the same direction. However, a golden spider web which I was forced to dodge put a damper on that plan. I was separated from the rest of the group, and taking the time of cutting through the web would just be a waste of time.

"I'll meet up with you!" I yelled as I ran down the corridor. Though it was short, the spider was determined to make me work for my freedom. Webs shot out from the walls at a fast pace. I had to do a series of acrobatic moves that I didn't think I was capable of in order to avoid having my head cut open, or sliced in half, whichever one would be worse. As I ran, the entire castle shook, nearly making me fall. I managed to stay upright, and thankfully so. Because when I made to start running again, every window in that corridor shattered. It didn't take me long to discover why.

Looking through the window, the golden web had blocked out the view. If I had to guess, the web had encased the entire corridor. A moment later, the marble and rock cracked. The web was pushing the entire corridor inwards. Like a wall trap, designed to slowly crush someone to death. And I was right in the middle of it.

I ran quickly. Faster than I ever had. The wall slowly constricted and I could see my safety just ahead of me. I made it. The wall closed completely just as I managed to clear it. I saw the others just pass by me and I continued running to catch up to them. We made to the second floor. It was a shorter floor than the third, so it didn't take us long to make our way through it. However, I knew we couldn't relax. When I looked out the window, I saw a sphere of that same golden web begin to form around the castle. And it's around half-way to the ground.

The first floor. The castle was beginning to crumble. We managed to stick together, running through that linear corridor and dodging any debris that fell. We were close to the entrance and the amount of falling rocks had increased. A particularly large piece of rock fell from the ceiling. It would block the entrance, cutting off any escape we hoped to achieve. Well, it would have, but not if I had anything to say about it.

I rushed forward, past everyone else and brought out my knife. The Demon's Eyes were activated once more, and I could see the threads of many objects throughout the collapsing castle. I kept my focus on the falling debris though. I jumped. As soon as I saw what I needed to strike, I swung the knife. The rock was cut in half. The rock was still too large, so as soon as I landed and the debris was within range, I spun in a circle. The knife cut through both pieces of rock, turning them into small enough bits that they wouldn't get in the way.

The entrance was in sight, but the golden web was almost to the ground. We hurried our pace and managed to reach the entrance before we were trapped. We had to drop and roll underneath the web, but we managed to escape being entangled in the web that this spider seemed hell-bent on trapping us in. We got to our feet and ran as fast as we could down the pathway.

A bang. Something like an explosion, except not, rang out through the air. When we turned to look, the golden web had completely eclipsed the castle. A few seconds later, the web vanished. The castle... was turned into a pile of rubble. That small creature was capable of that much. What's more, is that I couldn't see the spider within that rubble. It was missing. And a dangerous beast like that getting out of our sight was _not _a good thing at all.

"...We need to get out of this world," I said carefully. "Let's go."

With that, we followed Teddie back to the platform we first arrived in. Running as fast as we could...

* * *

On a hilltop far away from the destruction, two pairs of eyes watched the chaos unfold. They watched the golden web envelop the castle and destroyed it without any effort. A man with spiky white hair, and blue eyes smiled at this sight.

"Yup," he said. "I think we've found our little _'friend'_." He turned to look at his companion. A woman with wild red hair and eyes was watching this scene with trepidation.

"Indeed..." she said neutrally, trying to hide her anxiety. "To think he'd end up here..."

"How do we even know it's a he? It could be a girl for all we know."

"Shut up. I'm not in the mood for your jokes."

The fiery red-haired woman glared at the laid back man. He raised his hands defensively.

"Hey, come on," he said nervously. "No need to get hot under the collar. We found what we were looking for, didn't we?"

"Swear to God I will punch you if you don't stop with the puns!"

"Alright, alright... Still, whoever nabbed that little critter must be one hell of a nutcase. To take one of us on is a pretty bold move, no matter what you are."

"The fact that whoever it is managed to get _two _of us is also cause for concern. Just how powerful is this being...? As far as we knew there was only one person that was powerful enough to harm us, and I don't think she's anywhere near this town."

"Considering who the second one is, I'm not quite sure if it is just a simple kidnapping case... In any case, it doesn't really matter the how and why this happened. We know where to start looking now... Geez, first all that chaos that happened in that city a few years back, and now this. It's getting difficult finding some peace and quiet nowadays."

"Sora."

"I know, I know, there's no use whining about it."

The man called Sora turned to walk away but he stopped when he realised that he was the only one walking. He turned to look at his companion worriedly.

"Hinata? Something wrong?" he asked curiously. The woman called Hinata was still staring out towards the castle.

"...That girl."

"Huh?" he let out, walking back to where she was. "What girl?" He followed her line-of-sight until he spotted what she was looking at. The group of people running away from the castle. He realised who she was referring to. "Oh, the silver-haired chick, right?"

"Yes..."

He had to wonder what she was thinking at that moment. To be perfectly honest, Sora was more than a little curious about that girl as well. She had a unique power and she felt different compared to the rest of her group. Even so, he couldn't help but tease Hinata about her interest in the girl.

"You _liiiiiiike _her," he said teasingly. This immediately turned Hinata's cheeks a rosy red.

"Sh-Shut up! I'm just curious!"

Sora chuckled and figured that he would save the teasing for later.

"So you noticed it as well?" he asked her. He watched as she cleared her throat and composed herself before answering.

"Yes. She's definitely worthy of my attention. There's something familiar about her..."

"I was more focused on that strange ability she has. Being able to see the death of all things in this world isn't exactly healthy for the human mind." Sora tapped his skull with a finger. "Most normal folk with an ability like that would go nuts at some point. And yet she... Needless to say, we should definitely keep an eye on her."

"Planning to run another one of your _'tests'_?" Hinata asked sarcastically. "Don't rough her up too much."

"Don't worry, I won't mess with her pretty little face. I'm sure you'll be happy to hear that," he said, smirking at her.

"I thought I told you to shut up!"

* * *

We managed to make it back to the platform with no issues and we didn't seem to be in any danger. We had our concerns about leaving Teddie alone but he assured us that he would be okay and to just get out of that place. Though hesitant, we did so. We ended up back at Junes, as expected. We went outside to the food court and made sure to get Yukiko something to drink and eat.

We figured that she might have been starving after spending that much time in that castle.

"Are you feeling okay now, Yukiko?" I asked her worriedly. She nodded and smiled.

"I am now, though a little tired" she said. "Thank you so much for helping me."

I scratched my cheek and looked away, smiling a little as well.

"It's nothing, really. I'm just glad we were able to save you and get you back safely."

"Are you sure you can't remember anything, Yukiko-san?" Yosuke asked. "Anything about what the killer might have looked like perhaps."

"...Sorry. I can't remember anything," she said apologetically. Yosuke sighed.

"The only thing we can be sure of is that Yukiko was attacked the same way as the last two victims," Yosuke said. "Argh, we're gonna keep going round in circles at this point!"

I nodded in agreement.

"Yeah, let's call it a day," I told everyone. "We can discuss this in greater detail some other time. Besides, I'm worried about Yukiko's condition."

"Yeah, we can talk about it later. Yukiko really needs to get some rest. I'll take her home," Chie added.

"Oh, that's right... Sorry," Yosuke apologised. "Yukiko-san must be exhausted. Especially after that run through the castle... What exactly was that thing?"

"I don't know," I replied, shaking my head. "There's no point thinking about it right now. Let's just go home and get some rest."

Chie and Yukiko stood up, Chie holding onto her to help keep her steady.

"...What you did back there was incredible, Narukami," Yukiko said with awe. "You saved everyone..."

I couldn't help it. My cheeks went a little red at the praise. I wasn't exactly used to it so hearing those words from Yukiko made me feel a little embarrassed.

"Ah, think nothing of it. And I'm pretty sure Chie said the exact same thing to me the first time she saw it. You can ask me more about it some other time if you want. You should really go and get some shut-eye."

With a last nod, Chie and Yukiko started to make their way in the direction of Yukiko's home. As they passed Yosuke and I, I heard Yukiko say one last thing to me.

"Thank you..."

We watched as the two slowly made their way out of our field of vision.

"We'll talk about all this some more once she gets her strength back," Yosuke told me. "You should get home and clean up. You look like a mess."

"You have no room to talk," I fired back immediately. "You look more exhausted than I do."

"True enough..."

~ Book of Souls ~

Yosuke and I parted ways soon afterwards. With blood pouring down from my small wounds, I made my way through the empty streets back to the Dojima household. When I entered, I saw Nanako watching the TV. Hearing me enter, she stood up to greet me.

"Welcome—" She gasped. "You're hurt! Are you alright?!"

"Ah, this... I fell and hurt myself on my way back. I'm a bit of klutz." I laughed to sell the excuse I gave her. "I'm going to go take a shower. Be back soon." I went upstairs to the bathroom and locked the door behind me. I looked at myself in the mirror and saw the cuts in my uniform.

_Well, have to fix that. The worse part about these battles is fixing your clothes. I swear I get more cuts from that damn needle than I do from the Shadow's attacks._

I took off my clothes and enjoyed a long soak in the shower, cleaning all the blood off of me. By the time I got out, dried myself off, got changed into a fresh pair of clothes and placed my school uniform in the washing machine, it was around quarter to five in the evening. Nanako and I were watching TV in the living room. The door slid open, two pairs of footsteps walked in, and then the door closed. I was curious about that unnatural sound so I turned to look as Nanako yelled out.

"He's home!" she yelled excitedly. Her smile faltered when she saw the guest that Dojima had brought with him. "Um... hello..." she greeted the man by Dojima's side nervously. His partner on the police force, Adachi.

"Hi there," Adachi greeted Nanako with a friendly tone.

"We got off work at the same time so I'm giving him a ride back to his place. I thought we might as well swing by," Dojima explained.

"Nice to meet ya," Adachi said. "I'm Adachi, the guy who's been your dad's slave since spring."

Dojima didn't take kindly to this joke.

"I can still work you harder, you know," Dojima warned Adachi.

"Haha, good one, Sir! Ha... ha..." All the jokes seemed to be sapped out of him at the prospect of having more work dumped on him. He turned to look at me. His eyes widened in realisation. "Oh, I almost forgot! You're friends with Yukiko Amagi, right?" I nodded in affirmation. "They found her safe and sound! Tell all your friends at school!"

"That's a relief," I said with a smile.

"Yeah, for us on the force too," he responded with relief in his tone. His hand went to his chin as he spoke again, his tone a little more serious. "But this doesn't mean the case is closed, though. We were just questioning Ms. Amagi, but she says she doesn't remember who kidnapped her. Plus, we couldn't figure out how exactly she disappeared. It's like she really vanished into thin air. I have a few ideas as to what—"

A dull thud sounded out as Dojima gave him a punch to the head.

"Ow!" Adachi let out.

"Stop blabbering, dumbass!" Dojima yelled at him.

"S-Sorry," Adachi apologised, looking as though he realised that he was rambling on about sensitive information.

"Ignore him," Dojima said when he turned to look at me. "He's just spouting some wild fantasy."

His eyes conveyed another message. One that said to me: _"Don't bring up what we know in front of Nanako"_. She was still in the room and had no clue what I was doing and that Dojima knows what I was involved with. With that in mind, I nodded.

"I'll forget it, then."

"Yeah, don't give it a second thought." He rubbed the back of his neck. "Sheesh, he's a real pain sometimes."

"I'm hungry!" Nanako called out. Dojima chuckled.

"Hey, you're right," he said. "My stomach's growling too." Now that he mentioned it, my stomach was rumbling a lot as well. Running for your life can build up an appetite very quickly.

"Hahaha, so you do have a softer side around Nanako-chan, Sir," Adachi said which quickly earned Dojima's ire.

"Shut up and siddown... And wash those hands first! Hm, I should do the same..."

One thing was certain. Dinner was set to be quite lively that night...

~ Book of Souls ~

It was quite late at night now. Nanako was sent to bed and Dojima, Adachi and myself were the only people still up. Dojima had requested that Adachi stay here so that we could all discuss something. I had a pretty good feeling as to what this conversation would be about.

"Hey, you want some coffee?" Dojima asked. I nodded.

"The usual, please," I said. Once we had our drinks set on the table, Dojima started off what was bound to be an interesting conversation.

"...So, you managed to get her out," he stated. I nodded.

"Yeah. It wasn't easy, but we got out of there with Yukiko." Once I revealed what we had managed to do, Adachi's eyes widened.

"Whoa! So it was you that Dojima-san was talking about! He told me that someone was working on trying to rescue Miss Amagi, but I didn't think it would be his niece!"

Adachi received another smack to the head.

"Keep it down, you moron!" he said firmly. "You'll wake Nanako up!"

"Oops, sorry!"

Dojima shook his head.

"Anyway, I'm glad you're safe. Ah, I should probably mention this. Adachi knows everything."

"I... what?"

Seeing how much this revelation had surprised me, Dojima expounded further.

"He was a rookie and was assigned as my partner when he transferred here. He helped me solve that strange case I talked about before, so he has some knowledge about the world we come from. So feel free to talk candidly about what happened."

_...Well, uh... Good to know that I don't need to restrain myself with this guy..._

I took a breath before I started to speak.

"We found her in a large castle," I told them. "As far as we could gather, that world takes the darkest parts of the human psyche and manifests them on a physical plane. We managed to get her out of that place safely, but..." I took a drink out of my cup before continuing on. "Something stood in our way."

They seemed to notice the way that I hesitated before saying that. They're police officers, and detectives on top of that, so of course they would notice a detail like that.

"...You actually look pretty scared," Dojima pointed out. "Did something happen in there?"

"...There was this creature. Nothing like the Shadows... It was a spider. A mechanical spider, that spun golden webs. It was so fast. That little thing managed to destroy the entire castle, and it almost took us with it."

"Something tells me that isn't what's got you so frightened," Adachi interrupted me and said. He was right on the money in that regard. I nodded my head and gulped before I continued.

"...Uncle... My power doesn't work on it."

_That _made his eyes go wide. He shakily put down the cup he held in his hands. Adachi looked a little confused. I guess Dojima hadn't explained to him about the unique ability I possessed.

"...What does this mean?" he asked.

"It means that this creature has no concept of death."

While my power was useful in many regards, it also has its fair share of limitations and weaknesses. Besides the whole sapping away at my life every time I use it deal, I couldn't see the threads of a creature that doesn't have a concept of death. Creatures that have a close affiliation to death cannot be affected by this power as well. And while I could theoretically destroy a building with a single slash of a knife, if a spirit happened to possess the building, I wouldn't be able to see the thread of the building until I killed the spirit that resided within it.

That's only but a few examples that I had discovered while using this ability. I still didn't know the full range of what I could kill with it at the time.

The room was silent for a while. Then, Dojima stood up.

"Adachi, get up," he said sternly. "We have some calls to make."

"A-Ah! Yes, Sir!" Adachi stood up also. Dojima looked down at me.

"Get some rest," he told me. "You look exhausted. If I find out anything at all, I'll let you know... You did good out there."

He and Adachi left the house, leaving me in the quiet living room all alone. I sat there for a while, drinking the coffee that I still had left. I looked out the glass door and saw a clear night sky. With nary a star up above. I smiled.

"...You see that, Sachi? I managed to save someone. I didn't screw up again..."

* * *

~ _**Author's Note **_~

Now whatever could _that _mean? Well, I guess you'll have to wait and see. We got ourselves a new track, and it's a good one. _"Track 2" _is up on the Soundtrack page and it, for maximum pant-shitting, plays when the spider makes it's physical appearance.

The next few chapters is going to be calm, I think. And I think fans of a certain character from _Persona 4 Golden _will be happy when she makes her appearance. Though she won't be how you expect her to be. What do I mean by this, you may ask. Well, once again, you'll have to wait and see. Thanks for tuning in and I hope to see you guys for the next chapter.


	14. Chapter XII

~ _**Chapter XII: Meeting with a Witch (I) / Calm Days (I) **_~

I had ran to the park. I only asked my mother a simple question, but it only resulted in her yelling at me. I couldn't stand being in the house with her when she was angry. So I did what any child would, run away from the problem. Because I didn't know how to deal with it.

The park was as green as it always was, but it was barren. I was the only one there. The swings creaked when the wind moved them, but beyond that, there was no noise other than my light sobs as I sat on that hill with my legs scrunched up to my chest and my face hidden in my arms. I didn't mean any harm in what I said, but I didn't expect the way mother reacted.

The park was the only place really where I could be alone. Nobody bothered me, and on a good day I could stare up at the clouds. This day was different though. I didn't know what was different about it but there was a change in the pattern. I could hear grass being crushed under someone's foot and the noise was getting closer to me.

"Hey. You alone?"

I raised my head to look at the person who spoke. She had long light brown hair and eyes, wore a light pink t-shirt with a floral pattern and blue jeans, and she carried a suitcase with a similar floral pattern. She had a concerned expression on her features. Mother had told me not to talk to strangers. A classic parent manoeuvre. Given how I felt at that moment, I must have forgotten that rule. I nodded silently.

"You... Were you crying?" she asked next, sounding a little nervous. I again nodded silently. She sighed and sat down beside me. "Well, I can't just let that go by unnoticed. If there is one weakness I can say I won't be able to shake, it's seeing people, especially children, cry."

"...Mommy always said not to talk to strangers," I told her. She laughed lightly.

"That's a silly rule," she said. "Strangers are just friends you haven't met yet. If I may ask, what's your name?"

"I'm... Yuka... Narukami."

"Mariko Kusumi... My friends call me Marie."

~ Book of Souls ~

The hours I spent in that park were spent talking with Mariko. She talked a lot about herself, while I told her the reasons why I was there alone.

"So you're here because you got into a fight with your mom?" she said. "That's rough. I only had my mother and though we had our disagreements we never went as far as yelling at each other."

"You live in a small town, right?" I asked her. Mariko nodded and pointed to the east.

"Yeah. Very far off in that direction."

"So... why are you here?"

"Why? I'm... travelling. Seeing the sights and all that. Though I do have other reasons for coming out this far."

"Awesome..."

"It's not that amazing." Mariko laughed at my stunned look. When we first talked, she looked a little awkward. It's only with hindsight that I could see that she wasn't exactly used to dealing with kids. "So, tell me, do you like the sun?"

I nodded excitedly.

"Uh-huh. Sunny days mean I get to go to the shrine!"

"The shrine? So you like being at the shrine?"

"Yeah! People always say it's creepy but I love it! I want to be a miko when I grow up!"

"A shrine maiden? Well, I can definitely say that you would be suited for it." Mariko nodded a few times. "What's the shrine like in this town?"

"Peaceful," I answered immediately. "The forest surrounding it is beautiful and the sun always shines down on it... I sometimes hear voices there though. Spirits. They're always laughing and playing. I want to play with them too, but they can't hear me... They seem like really nice people."

"Huh?" Mariko looked at me. She had been staring off into the distance as I explained that. "You don't have any friends?" I shook my head.

"Nobody ever talks to me at school." I told her sadly.

"That's just terrible," she said, shaking her head. "Nobody should ever be alone..." She snapped her fingers. "I know! How about I be your friend?"

"Huh?"

"It's fun talking to you," she explained. "And I noticed you stopped crying a long while ago." She was right. At some point, I had completely forgotten about everything that happened with my mother. "Are you feeling better now?"

I nodded.

"Yes! Thank you, Mariko-san!"

"That's a little bit formal for friends, don't you think?" Mariko giggled. "Oh, do you want to see something cool?" she asked. I looked at her curiously. "Watch closely now."

I watched as her hand hovered over the ground. Suddenly, a bright green light emanated from the ground. When she was finished doing what she was doing, she lifted her hand. What was once just a small patch of grass was now populated with flowers of different colours: red, white, yellow. My eyes widened.

"Awesome!" I yelled excitedly, looking over the patch of flowers that she made out of nowhere. "How did you do that?! Can you use magic?! Can you?!"

Mariko laughed a little. Her expression, thinking on it now, reminded me of someone who was remembering something fondly.

"Yes, I can... I'm what some people would call a Magician. Though I prefer to be called a Witch."

From that moment on, Mariko Kusumi became my Sensei. Someone that I wanted to be like.

~ Book of Souls ~

_...It's been over seven years and yet I can still remember it this clearly._

I thought this as I got ready for school. I had a dream the previous night. A dream about my first meeting with my Sensei. I wondered how she was doing. Wondered if she was still travelling. She never did tell me what exactly she was doing on her trips so I could only guess.

"Yuka!" Dojima called from downstairs. "You're going to be late!"

"Alright!"

As soon as I got the last of my books in my bag, I rushed downstairs and out the door, bidding Dojima and Nanako a brief farewell. I stopped running when I made it to the riverbank, knowing that I would make it on time even if I walked.

_Right now, I would really like to stay home. That last fight was way too close for comfort. Just what exactly is that spider thing anyway? And what was it doing there...? Either way, I'm willing to bet that we'll see it again eventually._

"Yo!" I looked behind me and saw Chie running up to me. "Hehe, so you were late getting out the door as well?"

"Yeah, embarrassing as it is to admit." I giggled along with her. "How's Yukiko? Is she doing okay?"

"Yeah, I made sure she got home safely," Chie told me with a smile. I sighed.

"That's good," I said. "I guess we just have to wait until she's recovered. I don't think we'll get a miracle like we did with you."

"W-Well, calling it a miracle might be pushing it, hahaha!"

"...Chie... There's something I have to ask, if it's okay."

"Sure, go ahead."

"...What your Shadow said... and what Yukiko's Shadow said... Just how close are you two?"

"H-Huh?!" Chie was a little red-faced upon being reminded of her Shadow. And she probably had realised what Yukiko's Shadow was implying from the way she looked. She twiddled her fingers nervously as she looked up at me. "...She's my reason to keep going," she explained. "When Yosuke told me that she was trapped in that world, I felt sick to my stomach with worry. I can't explain it, but I was so desperate to save her... When I heard what her Shadow said, it felt like my heart was stabbed through with a sword."

_...If she hasn't realised it yet, I won't tell her._

"...You really do care for her," I said. "I think she knows that as well."

"...You think?" she asked nervously. I nodded.

"Yeah, I do. Anyway, we should hurry up and get to school. Else Mr. Moron will yell at us."

"Hehe, yeah, that wouldn't be a good start to the day."

~ Book of Souls ~

Lunch time rolled around quicker than I thought it would. Chie, Yosuke and I had made our way to the roof, where we would be able to eat our lunches in peace. Our conversation mainly consisted of random talking about classes. I could see that Chie was thinking about something, but I didn't ask about it. Yosuke didn't notice it either, so it left her in peace to sort out what was going through her mind.

Eventually, the conversation turned to outside of school. I was curious about one thing in particular, so I thought I'd ask about it some more.

"Tatsuhime Shrine?" Yosuke asked confusedly. "What do you want to know?"

"Whatever you know about it, I guess," I told them. "I went there recently, and..."

"Yeah, it has been left alone for a long time," Chie added. "No-one's around to take care of it. I only visit it around festival time, so I can't tell you much."

"Same here," Yosuke said. "I don't really know much about it myself. I know it's been here as long as the town has, just from asking the locals. Though there is this one rumour I've heard."

"Hmm?" I let out, picking up on that. "Do tell."

"Apparently, a long time ago there was a human sacrifice ritual that was performed there. To ward off a massive disaster, one girl offered herself to die in the ritual. They say her spirit haunts the shrine ever since, and that's why people don't go near it."

_Huh...? Is it possible that...?_

"That's just an urban legend," Chie said, biting into her sandwich.

"I know, but when you consider what we've seen so far, it does make you wonder..."

I don't need to wonder about it. I knew I heard something when I went to the shrine. I tried not to let this show on my face, but I thought to myself that I should go back to the shrine and make sure of it.

"You've been to the shrine, Narukami," Yosuke said, looking at me. "Did you hear something? See something?"

"...I did actually."

""EEEEHHHH?!""

_Well. I can tell they weren't expecting __**that**__._

Both Yosuke and Chie looked at me with surprise. I could tell they were expecting me to continue, so I did.

"I heard a voice while I was there. After I made a donation to the shrine. It said _'Hauu'_. I thought I saw someone peeking around the back of the shrine as well, but when I checked, there was nothing... Do you think this has something to do with that legend?"

"I don't want to say anything definite, but if you think you saw something, I'll trust you on it. You have the _'eyes' _for it after all," Yosuke said with a joking tone. Chie and I both stared at him.

"...Was that supposed to be a joke?" I asked.

"Kinda," he replied sheepishly. "Did it fell flat?"

"No, no, it's actually pretty clever," I told him. "The way you said it could have used some work though."

"Anyways, can we talk about something else?" Chie asked nervously. "All this talk of ghosts is starting to freak me out."

"Oh? I didn't know Chie could be scared this easily," Yosuke said teasingly. Which, of course, does not equal a happy Chie.

"Shut it, you!" she yelled, but that didn't stop Yosuke.

"Chie's a big old scaredy-cat~!" he sang.

"I _will _kick you if you keep instigating!"

I giggled under my breath. Those two were absolutely ridiculous at times, but it was all in good fun. Well, fun for me. Not sure about those two though. I finished my lunch in peace while they argued. I was smiling all the way back to class.

~ Book of Souls ~

I had decided to walk home by myself that day, and I found myself oddly free of worrying. Yukiko was safe, we didn't have to worry about a time limit at the moment and I was enjoying the quiet streets of Inaba. I ended up at the shopping district and went into the convenience store to get a drink. When I exited, my eyes drifted along the street and my sight was directed towards the shrine.

It was like I was being drawn towards it. Something about it was telling me I should go take a look. I sighed, knowing that my curiosity wouldn't be sated until I saw it at least, and walked towards the entrance. I stepped up onto the path and walked towards the building. I remembered when I was a kid, always excited to go up to the shrines, meeting the caretakers and learning about the various deities that the statues were based on, if there were any.

It was weird, walking down that path without seeing someone sweeping the entrance. I stopped at the offertory box and looked around.

"...Is there someone there?" I asked out loud. "If you can hear me, please answer."

I received no response. I brought out my wallet once more.

_Maybe I can lure the spirits out if I make an offering? It seemed to work before._

Taking out around 500 yen, I dropped the money in the box and waited. There didn't seem to be any change in the air, so I decided to try again some other time. Offering a quick prayer, I made my way down the pathway.

_Maybe next time I'll see them..._

~ Book of Souls ~

"I'm back!" I said when I got through the front door. Nanako was there to greet me like always.

"Welcome home," she said. "Daddy left us some dinner in the fridge. He's going to be working late so he said to have dinner without him."

"I see."

I walked over to the couch and sat down. Nanako was watching a game show that didn't look all that interesting to me. We sat in silence, with only the TV acting as background noise.

_...I wonder what Nanako likes?_

I hadn't had much of an opportunity to talk with my cousin since I first arrived in Inaba. So I thought I would take the chance to talk with her and get to know her better.

"...So, what kind of things do you like, Nanako?"

"Eh?"

She turned to look at me, confusion in her expression.

"What kind of things do you like?" I asked again. "Sports, books, manga? That kind of thing."

"...I like TV," she said. "And I sometimes read manga at school. They have some in the library."

"Oh? Anything you're reading right now?"

"Um... There's One Piece," she said. I smiled at her.

"Ah, talk about mainstream." I giggled lightly. "But that isn't always a bad thing. One Piece is good."

"What about you? Do you like to read?"

"Yeah, let's see, what would I consider my favourites...?"

~ Book of Souls ~

"So after he gets his bag back and goes back to his home, he finds a letter addressed to his best friend from the girl. But get this... The envelope was empty."

"No way! That really happened?!"

"Yeah, and when the girl comes back to get it, and they find out the others intentions for their respective best friends, they agreed to help each other get together with them, but, surprise surprise—"

"They fall in love with each other."

"Bingo."

I had just told Nanako about what happens in a romance novel I had picked up in the last city I lived in. I couldn't just very well tell her about the more mature novels, so I thought something that was suitable for someone of her age would work just as well.

"Yeah, they're kinda dumb-dumbs, aren't they?" I laughed along with Nanako. "Seriously, they try to get each other together with their best friends only to fall for each other. The sad thing is, I picked up on how they felt within the first volume."

The door slid open, someone walked in and closed the door behind them.

"I'm back," Dojima called out as he walked into the living room. "Well, you two look like you're having fun." I was lying down on the couch on my stomach while Nanako sat on the cushion in front of me. "Did you have dinner?"

""Oh!""

We were so wrapped up in our discussion, we completely forgot to have dinner. Dojima noticed this and chuckled.

"Alright then, I'll go prepare it. You must be really hungry by now."

And so that day ended with a nice dinner with the Dojimas. It was a calm day. I didn't need to worry too much about what was happening in that other world. It wasn't like I could just forget about everything. I needed to keep it in my mind, but having a break every once in a while wasn't all that bad.

_It's been a good day... I wonder when Yukiko'll come back to school? No doubt she'll have a lot of questions... Oh well, cross that river when I get to it._


	15. Chapter XIII

~_** Chapter XIII: Meeting with a Witch (II) / Wrath of the Hungry Girl **_~

Ever since then, meeting with Mariko in the park in the afternoon became sort of a daily routine for me. I walked to the park in my sundress, humming a little song as I did so. I was smiling, because I would get to see my Sensei.

_Sensei! Sensei! I get to see my Sensei!_

I eventually reached it, and went to the hill where I first met her. Wearing the same clothes, carrying the same briefcase, I saw Mariko, or Marie as her friends call her, sitting there with a smile on her face.

"Oh, Yuka," she said when she noticed me. I sat down next to her. "And how are you feeling today?" she asked.

"Great!" I told her. "I've been helping out at the shrine mostly. It got a little bit messy after the festival. Were you there, Sensei?"

"I was. We must have missed each other because I didn't see you at all. That firework display was really creative."

"It was..." I was silent for a while. Thinking of the shrine made me think about the spirits that were there. Mother told me to never speak of it outside of our house, and to never mention it to _'normal'_. She never explained why though. "...Sensei, why can't normal people see the spirits? They always seem so lonely, and I can see them. When I try to speak to them though, they can't hear me."

"...You have natural talent, Yuka," Mariko told me. "Even though you're young, you're able to perceive the spirits that inhabit our world. But it's not enough to fully communicate with the spirit world."

"What do you mean?" I asked curiously.

"Our world isn't just a world of the divine and the mythical. It's also one where the normal live out their lives, blissfully unaware of magic and the effects it had on their existence. The fabric of this world has already been reshaped; it's so different from what it was a few years ago. Those who are just normal humans don't even notice it. But those who are outside of what is normal can see this twisted world for what it is... You and I... We come from such a world."

"Sensei?"

"And some might judge us for being different from the norm. They might even curse us. Condemn us to an existence that no one has to endure..." She turned to look at me. I saw a seriousness in her eyes that I hadn't seen before that point before it lightened. "I'm sorry," she said with a giggle. "This must be so confusing for a child... I had to endure a lot in the past year. Something happened in my hometown that's... difficult to explain properly in a way that you can understand."

"What happened?" I asked, my child mind curious as to what my Sensei could have gone through.

"Well... I had to make a rash decision," she explained. "It was snap, and it was selfish, but I don't regret it. Pretty sure I managed to shave off ten years of my life because of it. And I do mean that literally."

At the thought of my Sensei dying sooner than she was meant to, my expression turned sombre, but her happy expression remained on her features.

"I got those years back, don't worry," she told me.

"Huh?" I let out confusedly.

"As I said, it's difficult to explain it in a way that you can understand at the moment. Maybe someday I'll tell you about it... What I can say though, is that I managed to save someone important to me."

"Is that why you don't have any regrets?" I asked her.

"Precisely... Yuka, I may not be much of a teacher, but there is something that I want you to remember."

I listened very carefully, making sure to burn whatever she had to say in my memory so I wouldn't forget it.

"Don't ever change yourself for anyone. Be the best person you believe you can be, and always do what you feel is right. Even if others don't agree with you."

I nodded as I heard her words.

"...Yuka, there may come a time where you have to make a similar decision as I," my Sensei told me, that serious tone returning. "Sacrificing what you know for the sake of someone else. If someday, you happen upon that choice, follow what your heart wants and don't think of anything else."

"...Sensei, I don't really understand."

"That's good. It's important that you don't understand right now. The answers will come to you when you need them to."

I nodded once more, believing in her words. Mariko looked at me and smiled once more.

"And this is why normal people can't see spirits," she told me. "You're a good person, Yuka, born into a world that's unrelenting. You can connect to the world of spirits in a way that I haven't seen in a long time because of the pure heart you possess. You have great power, Yuka Narukami. Don't take such a gift lightly."

"But Sensei, didn't you-"

"I know. And I stand by it. Since it's your gift, it's yours to use as you see fit. Nobody but you has the right to judge you. Out of every existence I've encountered though, yours is one of the most unique... I think it was fate that led us to each other. We must have met for a reason, and you must have this much power for a reason."

Mariko turned and shifted her body so she was on her knees and was looking directly at me. Suddenly, she reached out and brought me in close for a hug. Her body was warm and a fluttery feeling welled up in my chest.

"You are a very kind and honest person, Yuka. As long as you stay the way you are, your power won't steer you astray. I'm not telling you to become a saint or anything like that. All I ask of you is to be true to yourself, and become a woman in the manner that you think is right."

After a moment, I returned the embrace, with my head on her shoulders, the warm feeling that coursed through me becoming stronger and stronger.

It's only in retrospect, and after speaking to my mother about it when she was in a better mood, did I realise what that feeling was. I deeply admired Mariko, and those feelings eventually blossomed into a crush. Was it true love? I don't think so. Was it a sort of love based on a deep admiration for someone else? Very possible. Was it a childish crush on someone I look up to? Very much true.

I didn't ask Mariko about it. She left town soon after, but I kept those feelings to myself, and the lesson she taught - to remain myself, no matter what - was one that remained with me as I grew up. And I believe it would never leave me, no matter how long I lived.

~ Book of Souls ~

_Of all the times to be thinking about her, why now...? Maybe it's a sign. I don't know._

I walked along the riverbank alone on my way to school. I had another dream the previous night. Once again, about my Sensei. I didn't know why i was dreaming about those meetings, but I didn't think much of it. I eventually reached the school gates and saw someone there. I saw her glance at me from the corner of my eye before she turned away bashfully.

I walked over to Yukiko, who was standing off to the side awkwardly.

"Morning," I said.

"O-Oh... Good morning," she replied nervously.

"Feeling better?" I asked her with some concern in my voice, and she nodded in affirmation.

"Y-Yeah... I'll be coming to school again, so... That'll be nice." She looked down at the pavement, a guilty expression on her face. "I caused everyone some real trouble. I'm sorry..." She shook her head and looked back up at me, smiling a little. "No, _'sorry'_ isn't quite right... What I mean to say is, thank you."

"Like I said before, think nothing of it," I told her. She seemed a lot more cheerful than the last time I saw her.

"My mother's back to work already. The maids are being really supportive, and I think things are going even smoother than before. I wonder if I was trying too hard... I may have been too caught up in the idea that I had to do everything by myself. Ever since the incident... I feel I can think about these things more calmly."

She glanced at me before looking away, a red glow on her cheeks.

"B-But... It's still kind of embarrassing... You guys saw everything... Even the things I didn't want to admit."

I scratched my cheek and gave a sort of embarrassed smile.

"Yeah. To be honest, it caught me off guard as well... So... _'Chie's the only prince for me'_?" I quoted at her, which made Yukiko's soft red blush grow even brighter. She coughed into her hand softly.

"...I... I always believed that Chie would be the one to save me," she explained. "To free me from this cage called Inaba... I was just being selfish though. I recognise that now... As time went on however... Something changed... Actually, I think it's still in the process of changing. And I think I know what it is. This burning feeling in my chest whenever I think of her... It scares me."

"...A certain someone is going through the exact same problem you are at the moment," I told her. Her head snapped to look at me. "Unlike her, you seem to have a better grasp on your feelings... You two should talk about it."

"H-Huh?!" Yukiko looked at me like I grew two heads. The idea had clearly never crossed her mind until now. I think that this whole Shadow thing had given them the push they needed to seriously consider how much they meant to each other.

_...I won't let them make the same mistakes._

"Tell her," I told her very simply. "What we're involved with is very dangerous. I can't guarantee our safeties... And if something did happen, all that would be left to you is the regret of not telling her how you felt when you had the chance."

"Narukami...?"

"Yukiko... Don't make the same mistake I did," I told her, my voice carrying a lot of weight and emotion, more than I had in that conversation until that point.

"Yukiko!"

Oh, speak of the devil.

We both turned to look and saw Chie making her way to us. I looked back at Yukiko quickly.

"Think about what I said, alright?" I told her before walking to the entrance. I had done all I could. The rest really was up to them at that point.

~ Book of Souls ~

After school, myself, Yosuke, Chie and Yukiko had gathered on the roof. There was nobody else there so we could talk about whatever we needed to talk about in peace. We made idle conversation while waiting for Yukiko to return with some instant noodles. Chie, Yukiko and myself were feeling a little hungry, so Yukiko offered to go get some food for us while we talked about the case.

The door swung open.

"Sorry to keep you waiting," Yukiko said while carrying three plastic containers, all stacked on top of each other. "The soba is yours, right Chie? And you wanted sweet and sour, right Narukami?"

I nodded as I took the top container and sat down beside Chie. Chie took the middle container.

"Thanks! Oooh, that smells so gooood..." Chie said excitedly as she looked down at it. "These instant noodles are just the thing to help me through club... How much longer do I have to wait on this?"

"It still needs a few minutes."

"So, why're we here...?" Chie asked before remembering. "Oh yeah, we were going to ask Yukiko what happened."

"Yukiko-san, I hate to bring up stuff you'd rather not think about... But I need to ask you again. Did you recall anything about when you got kidnapped?" Yosuke asked. Yukiko bowed her head in thought for a few moments before shaking it.

"No..." she said, regret in her tone. "I thought I might remember something if I let it sit for a while, but as time passed, it only gets hazier... I think... the doorbell rang at the entrance... and someone called for me..." She looked up at Yosuke. "But when I woke up after that, I was already in the castle... I'm sorry."

"There's no need to apologise," I told her, smiling a little. Because of the wonderful smell coming from the instant noodles. Certainly not because Yukiko was a very pretty person.

"Does this mean her visitor is the culprit?" Chie asked with suspicion. It wasn't hard to draw that conclusion... from a mundane perspective.

"I don't know... If it's true, then that's one daring criminal. What kind of killer would ring the doorbell?" Yosuke asked. The same kind that would be crazy enough to throw people into a TV, I would reckon. "The police are probably looking for witnesses... but I don't think we expect much from them."

"Two of the detectives there - my uncle and his partner - already know about the TV world," I informed everyone bluntly. "They can't do much though. Not without causing a panic... That's why they left it to us. In any case, the regular police force are well out of their league. I mean, we can't just expect the culprit to wear bright yellow clothes at the scene of the crime."

A silence filled the air as we all contemplated any possible leads we could follow. From the lack of voices, it was pretty safe to say that we didn't have a lot.

"...I wonder why whoever it is would do stuff like this?" Chie asked worriedly.

"We won't know until we confront 'em ourselves," Yosuke simply said. "But we can be sure of one thing. It's no coincidence that people keep ending up in that place. Someone on our side is definitely kidnapping them and throwing them into the TV."

"We can't just automatically assume that the culprit is human," I interjected immediately. "I can't be certain, but we have to consider the possibility that magic is involved with this. Someone walks up to Yukiko's door and snatches her without anyone noticing or leaving any trace? Very unlikely. If the murders were done with magic, it would add up."

"Agreed." Yosuke nodded. "That spider thing has me suspicious. It's been following us ever since we entered that castle. Question is, why was it following us...? One thing's for certain: it's murder." Yosuke's eyes widened, as though he realised he had forgotten something. He looked at Yukiko. "Oh yeah, we never told you. This lovely lady and myself are gonna catch the culprit ourselves! The police are out of their league, like Narukami said, but I have a Persona, and she has that book and her eyes of instant death."

"We'll catch whoever it is, don't worry about it," I told Yukiko, nodding my head as I did so.

"I'm helping too!" Chie yelled. "I can't believe someone would throw people into a place like that. I'm gonna sock whoever's doing this!"

Yukiko's eyes widened and she looked worried all of a sudden.

"Chie..." Her hands traced the edges of the container, and her eyes didn't make contact with any of us. I didn't know what she was thinking, but evidently, she came to a sort of decision and looked up once more. "...Let me help too." We all looked at her in shock. "I want to know why this is happening. Especially if someone hates me so much they want to kill me. I don't want to run away from myself anymore. I don't want to deny what's in my heart..."

Yosuke jumped from his seat and stood up. He was smiling with one eye closed.

"Alright!" he yelled. "Then let's all work together and catch this asshole!"

"Agreed."

And that's how Yukiko joined our little investigation team. While she hadn't come to a final answer to her worries, she decided to tackle the problem one step at a time by making sure to be near us.

"But how're we going to find them?" Chie quite rightfully pointed out. "We don't have a single lead yet."

"I'm the third one to be targeted so far... But I have a feeling this isn't the end of it," Yukiko also quite rightfully pointed out. "If we had an idea of who might be targeted next, wouldn't we have an advantage over the killer?"

"So we'll outsmart them, huh?" Yosuke pondered for a moment before nodding his head. "Yeah, that might work! Okay, so let's see if we can figure out what ties the victims together. First, there was that announcer, Mayumi Yamano. Second was Saki Konishi... Senpai. Third was Yukiko Amagi."

"Well, there's an obvious connection right off the bat," I said. "They're all female."

"Exactly."

Chie was more than a little mad at this fact.

"How dare he target females! Now that's unforgivable! The culprit's gotta be some kind of pervert..."

"Also, what about this?" Yosuke continued. "The second and third victims had some sort of connection to the first one."

"Hey, that's right," Chie said in realisation. "Yukiko and Saki-senpai both had connections to that announcer."

"That's true," Yukiko agreed. "Then... does that mean females connected in some way to Ms. Yamano's case are being targeted...?"

"It's a safe bet right now," I said. "There's also another angle we can take. If we're too late and another person ends up being thrown into the TV world..."

"You think they'd be on that Midnight Channel?" Chie asked. I nodded.

"Yeah. If a person disappears without a trace, then no doubt we'll see them on the Midnight Channel. If we catch it early, then we can save them quickly before the fog comes around. I have a bad feeling about it, but we have no choice but to rely on it for now."

"The next time it rains..." Yukiko said to herself.

"...Still... I think things are a lot more complicated than they seem," I spoke up. "That spider thing still bugs me. Not only did it destroy that castle without any effort, my ability is useless against it."

"Whoa, whoa, whoa! Back that up a little! What did you just say?" Yosuke asked, his eyes wide.

"I said that my eyes are useless against that spider."

"I thought those eyes of yours can kill anything."

"I did as well... but there are limitations to this power," I explained. "Using the Demon's Eyes, I can destroy that solar panel over there, or that pipe. If I find the right thread, I can even destroy this building. However, if a spirit happens to possess it, then I would have to kill the spirit before I can destroy the building. Plus, if a creature has a close connection to death or has no concept of death, then my eyes won't work on it. That's what I've managed to gather through my brief time using them."

"It sounds like we'll just have to run if we see that thing again," Chie said nervously.

"...By the way, aren't those done by now?" Yosuke asked Chie, Yukiko and I, pointing at the instant noodles we held in our laps. I looked down.

"Whoa, that's right! Chow time!" Chie yelled as we opened it up. The smell of the spices and sauce mixed in with the noodles and chicken threatened to make my mouth water it smelled so good. I picked up the chopsticks and began to eat quickly. I only managed to get a few bites before Yosuke spoke up.

"Hey, could I try just a little bit of that?! Just one tiny bite!"

I held the container against my chest protectively.

"Chaaa!" I hissed. "Get your own!" I looked down at the container and then at his pleading expression. "Rrrngh... Okay, just one bite, got it?"

I reluctantly handed the container to Yosuke. It was a mistake. A huge mistake. I did this not knowing that I would never see that food again. He took a sniff of it before he started eating.

"It's soooo goooood..." he said. "The aroma, the flavour, and the texture combined... This is perfect!"

Suddenly, the pace at which he ate sped up. I didn't realise it until a second later that he definitely had more than one bite. I stood up.

"Aaaaack! What the hell are you doing?!" I yelled at him. This seemed to snap him out of his food trance as he raised his head quickly in attention. He looked down at the container. His eyes widened for a moment before he quickly handed it back to me.

Afraid of what I would see, I looked down.

"You... ate... everything..." I said slowly, tears welling up in my eyes. Yosuke seemed to realise how badly he had fucked up, going by his panicked response.

"W-Wait wait wait! I'm sorry! I didn't mean to! It was just so good, I couldn't stop myself! B-Besides, those things are pretty cheap, we can just... get..."

I was making a high-pitched 'mmm' noise continuously as he spoke, slowly growing louder until he noticed. My cheeks were slightly puffed out and my lip quivered.

"Narukami?" he asked nervously. "What's with the puppy dog eyes? I said I was sorry. Okay?" He tried to put on an innocent face and smile, but it just came off as worried.

"Mmmmmmmmmmmmmm-" I started to shake with anger at this crime against me. How dare he take. MY. FOOD! "YOSUKE!" That innocent face crumbled quickly as he realised that there would be no calming me at this point. "YOU SUCK!"

A loud crunch. A pained scream. A lesson was learned that day by all who witnessed it. Denying Yuka Narukami her food does not equate a happy Yuka Narukami. In fact, denying her food makes her that much more likely to bite you, as Yosuke found out.

In short - feed me, or I will eat _you_.

* * *

The late afternoon sun shone down on Okina City as the various shops were beginning to close up. Only a few would stay open until the late night. The coffee shop - Cafe Chagall - was one of them. At that hour, there were very few people that were there though. A few regulars, but no one else.

That day was a little different. The door opened, the bell rang - signaling a new arrival. The girl behind the counter was surprised to see fresh new faces in Cafe Chagall. She greeted them politely, like she always does.

They were an odd pair. A man with spiky white hair and cool blue eyes. And a woman with wild red hair and eyes. They sat down at the table and the girl went over to take their orders.

"Decaff latte," Sora said, looking at the girl with a smile.

"Regular with milk," Hinata spoke up as well, not looking away from the menu.

"Got it," the girl said once she wrote down their orders. "Hope you two enjoy your date."

Sora chuckled to himself.

"Nah, this isn't a date," he pointed out to her. "I'm not her type. Or preference."

Sora winced in pain as Hinata delivered a hard kick to his shin.

"Ow!" He looked up at her and saw no trace of anger on her face. She wasn't even looking at him. The girl walked off to prepare their orders. "...So, whatcha' looking at?"

"What they have in terms of sweets," she said.

"Ooo, anything good?"

"Let's see... Double chocolate brownies, jam doughnuts, a wide variety of cakes... If we had the money, I would like to get them all."

"You always did have a sweet tooth," Sora said amusedly. Their orders came in soon after. They drank in silence until Hinata spoke up.

"What are we even doing here?" she asked impatiently. "We should be in there, looking for them."

"I thought we could use a break," Sora said. "We've been looking for days now. And besides, you seem distracted."

"..."

"And what do you suppose we do if we find them? They outclass us by a fair margin. If it is what I suspect it is, then we don't stand a chance."

"...That may be true, but-"

"And like I said, you seem distracted. Your mind is elsewhere, isn't it? And I have a good idea what - sorry, who - it is."

"Shut up!" Hinata said loudly. "I'm not distracted!"

"You totally are," he countered amusedly. "Man, it is so easy to get under your skin."

Hinata composed herself - however hard it may have been and however tempting it was to reach over the table and smash her fist into that smug face - and looked out the window.

"...We can't just sit around and wait for something to happen," she told him. "Something weird's going on in Inaba and I'm not sure if I like it."

"While I agree that something weird _is_ going on, I think we should take it slow. It didn't exactly end well for the last of us that rushed into a battle without knowing what he was getting into."

"Don't remind me. I didn't like Beowulf but even I was surprised that he was defeated."

"Not just defeated. _Killed_. A human killed an Aristotle. True, she was a Magician, but to kill one of us is unheard of. What do they call her? "The Magician of Red"?"

"Whatever, I just hope we don't run into her."

"...What about those kids we saw at that castle?" Sora asked curiously. "They managed to survive an encounter with an Aristotle, an encounter with Kumo at that. That's not exactly something to ignore."

"Don't forget about the other one."

"I know... Wonder how they would fare against Shi? Probably not well."

"I agree. Shi's one of the most powerful Aristotles. Anyone who fights him is either very brave or stupid."

"...Hmm. I think a test is in order."

"Another one?" Hinata rolled her eyes as she said this, rather sarcastically.

"They saw Kumo and lived to tell the tale. It's only natural to want to see how they'd fare in a fight against one of us."

Hinata looked at Sora, a suspicious glint in her eyes. Sora looked way too excited for this to be simply another "test", as he called it.

"And what if they prove... inadequate?" Hinata asked, having a good feeling what the answer would be.

"I'll kill them," Sora said simply, taking a sip out of his coffee.

"Not the girl," Hinata said immediately and forcefully, which surprised Sora a little.

"Huh? It's not like you to get attached. Hinata. I was just teasing you before, but... You really do like her, don't you?"

"I-I don't know what you're talking about," Hinata said, her voice going up an octave. "I'm just curious about her, that's all."

Typical tsundere, Sora thought. They're never honest with their feelings. Though perhaps this was her way of admitting that she liked the silver-haired girl that they saw. Hinata could still maintain plausible deniability about it until she says it clearly, and Sora knew when he wasn't going to get any further. So he dropped it for the moment. He'll drag the truth out of her eventually.

Hinata cleared her throat and calmed down a little. She was almost about to punch him for his repeated teasing, and doing that in the middle of town wasn't exactly the best idea.

"And what if they prove capable?" Hinata asked curiously.

"Then we step back and watch for a while," Sora told her, looking like he was in thought. "Shi's up to something in that other world. He must have come here for a reason. We just don't know what yet..." He smiled at Hinata. "Who knows? Maybe you'll get a chance to talk to that girl; see what makes her so special that you've grown fond of her."

"Perhaps..." Hinata said absent-mindedly before she realised what he said. "Wait! What was that?!"

"Nothing, nothing." Sora laughed, knowing that repeating would mean taking a beating. "Man, human coffee is really good."

The two Aristotles finished their drinks in peace. Sora thought of how to go about "testing" Yuka Narukami and her friends. Hinata wondered about said Yuka and the reason why she took notice of her. She hoped that they didn't hurt her too much, though she couldn't figure out why.

As Hinata looked out the window, at the orange sky as the sun sets, she thought about the night that is fast approaching. How cold it would become. She looked forward to the sunrise, when the day would begin anew.


End file.
